Craig Brackins started it off with the games first five points and a block on his first defensive possession, and Iowa State never looked back.

The block was the first of four on the night for Brackins, the much-heralded freshman from Palmdale, Calif., in Iowa State’s 66-38 exhibition win over the University of Dubuque on Thursday, in front of an announced crowd of 13,973 at Hilton Coliseum.

Iowa State was in control from the beginning, scoring the game’s first five points en route to a 40-17 halftime lead. The Cyclones started the second half on a 23-5 run, allowing for a lot of playing time for newcomers, including Brackins and Charles Boozer.

Brackins made his mark in his first game in a Cyclone uniform, scoring 10 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Boozer, another freshman, went 3-for-5 on three-point attempts, including two in a row at the 7:47 mark in the first half, much to the delight of the Cyclone Alley student section’s “Booozer” chants.

Bryan Petersen started at point guard for the Cyclones, the team’s biggest question mark position entering the season. Diante Garrett and Marcus Brister also got their opportunities at the point guard position. Brister had four turnovers, while Garrett had one and Petersen didn’t have any.

It wasn’t just the freshman who came through in the first game. Senior Rahshon Clark led all scoring with 12 points, eight of those coming in the first half. Sophomore Wesley Johnson also broke double digits with 11. Senior Jiri Hubalek watched the game from the sideline while recovering from a foot injury.

Drey Porter led the way for Dubuque with 17 points.

Iowa State is next in action on Sunday at 6 p.m. when they host EA Sports in the team’s final exhibition game.