DES MOINES — Melvin Ejim thinks the referees like him, for this game at least.

Ejim’s 14 free-throw attempts were a game-high and a career-high as he made 11, which added to his season-high 21 points. He also continued to establish his rebounding presence, adding 11 for his fourth double-double of the season.

“I don’t know, you’ve got to ask the refs,” Ejim said with a laugh. “I think they liked me this game.”

Ejim was back in the starting lineup after starting off the bench in the previous game. His effort came in front of a crowd of 13,180 for the inaugural Big Four Classic at Wells Fargo Arena, as Ejim led the Cyclones (8-3) to an 86-77 win against Drake (4-5).

“Melvin was great; he was all over the place,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg. “He made good plays. Whether he scored it or made a kickout or got to the foul line, Melvin was terrific.”

Iowa State was able to excel in getting to the charity stripe, which has been a struggle all year, while also struggling in an area where it had excelled most of the season — shooting behind the arc.

Against Drake, the Cyclones made 30 of their attempted 41, which was a season-high, while only making four of 19 3-pointers.

A total of 52 fouls were called in the game, leaving both teams in foul trouble. Even with Drake’s top two players on the bench most of the first half, Iowa State’s lead was never stretched to more than 10 points.

“Our numbers were pretty good, we just couldn’t get that separation,” Hoiberg said. “Give those guys credit. I think that’s a team that will do very well in the Missouri Valley Conference and I think it’s a team that could surprise a lot of people.”

The numbers Hoiberg spoke of have been a telling sign of Iowa State’s success. When the team out-rebounds its opponent, its record is 8-2.

In this game, Iowa State won the rebound battle 45-30.

When the Cyclones out-shoot their opponent, they’re 8-0. The Cyclones shot 44.1 percent in this game, which was above Drake’s.

Ejim wasn’t the only Cyclone with a double-double, as Will Clyburn added his third of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds along with three assists and two steals.

One of those steals was a critical part of the game. After Micah Mason had made two free throws to cut the deficit to six with a little more than three minutes remaining, Clyburn stole the ball after a rebound and two-hand dunked with the foul. That put the margin to nine points, where it remained for the rest of the game.

“I was back-peddaling  and he just threw it to my hands basically,” Clyburn said. “I just got lucky.”