Seconds after fouling out of the final Iowa State-Iowa game of his career, Jiri Hubalek walked to center court, saluted the fans and let out a primeval yell.

The 14,376 mostly-Cyclone fans responded with some noise of their own.

That moment was a perfect example of the leadership and heart the center and his fellow senior Rahshon Clark brought to the whole game.

The duo, along with Mike Smith, are the only seniors who stayed on when former coach Wayne Morgan left. Combined, they scored 29 of Iowa State’s 56 points, including the final 10 Cyclone points in the 56-47 win over the Hawkeyes.

“Rahshon and Jiri could have followed the same path that a lot of other guys did when I took this job a year-and-a-half ago . So they deserve a time like this where it was their time to shine,” said coach Greg McDermott. “We needed them because some other guys weren’t making shots, and they stepped up.”

Hubalek’s end-game play contrasted sharply with his play at the start of the game. After missing his assignment and giving up a bucket on Iowa’s first possession of the game, McDermott yanked him to the bench for an unprintable lecture.

“I just made a mistake on my part and I didn’t do my job,” Hubalek said. “Coach wanted to let me know that I’d do my job next time.”

The senior responded with his best offensive game of the season, scoring 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including his second 3-pointer of the year. Hubalek’s defense wasn’t too shabby, either. He came up with six rebounds – three on the offensive end – to go along with a block and a steal.

As for Clark, he just did what he always does – poured his heart and soul out for the fans he has come to love, fans that have embraced the forward from Queens, N.Y.

“This is my last time playing [Iowa], and my teammates came through for me,” Clark said humbly, giving out the credit. “I thank them, and I thank the fans for coming out and supporting us.”

Clark has sacrificed his offense this season to become a lockdown defender, something Iowa’s Josh Johnson now knows all too well. Johnson came into the game averaging 16.8 points per game on 38 percent shooting, but with Clark inside his jersey all night, Johnson needed 15 shots, making just three, to get his 9 points.

Flashes of the highlight-reel Clark of old streamed through, especially on a put-back dunk with 9:08 left in the first half that stirred Hilton into a frenzy and brought his teammates off the bench, arms and towels waving.

But it was the new Clark, the team leader, who coolly stepped to the free-throw line and hit 3 of 4 in the last 1:28 and 7 of 8 for the afternoon to put the game out of reach.

The two seniors knew coming in that this was their last shot at Iowa and, with so many new players experiencing the rivalry for the first time, they really needed to step up. They did just that, and now have an afternoon they can remember the rest of their lives.

“This is what it’s all about, to play in front of a crowd like that,” Hubalek said. “I’ve dreamed about that all my life, playing basketball in front of nobody in empty gyms. It’s a dream come true.”