Naz Long took the pass in the left corner and, without hesitation, rose and fired above the 6-foot-9 defender that stood in front of him.

The long-range shot sank through the net, another 3-pointer for the sophomore guard. Long went 8-of-11 from beyond the arc in Iowa State’s 95-62 season-opening victory Sunday against UNC-Wilmington.

Has he ever accomplished such a feat, even in a video game?

“Yeah,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg jumping in, “he used to use me.”

Iowa State’s early lead was cut to 14-13 with 10:08 remaining in the first half when freshman guard Matt Thomas drove through the lane and hit a floater.

That’s when Long took over.

The Cyclones ended the first half on a 38-9 run, and Long scored 15 of the team’s points during the run with five 3-pointers. Iowa State went 14-of-25 in the 3-point range after starting the game 1-of-7, and Long went 5-of-7 from beyond the arc during the run.

“After I hit the first couple, I felt really calm,” Long said.

Long’s six first-half 3s were the most in a half since Lucca Staiger made six in the second half against Drake in 2009. His eight 3-pointers in the game were the most since Staiger ended that same game with 10.

After hitting his first 3-pointer prior to the run, Long missed one and made one. That’s when the ball found him in the corner for a contested shot.

“He just rose up and knocked it down,” said senior DeAndre Kane, who scored 13 points to go along with 11 rebounds and seven assists. “I said, ‘He’s hot.’”

And he kept firing away, knocking his freshman season totals out of the water in one game. Long made five 3-pointers and finished with 25 points last season. He scored 26 points alongside his eight 3s in Sunday’s victory.

“He’s just been rising up with confidence and that’s something we preach to our guys,” Hoiberg said. “If you’ve got an open shot, rise up with confidence and swagger and knock it down.”

Long moved into the starting lineup before Iowa State’s exhibition game when the team lost senior forward Melvin Ejim to a hyperextended left knee. Kane and Hoiberg said he has gone on similar shooting streaks in practice.

Now, everybody has seen it.

“You’ve just got to be prepared for whatever step you’re going to take,” Long said. “Just seize your moment when it comes.”