The regular season kicked off for the ISU men’s basketball team, with the Cyclones posting a 3-1 record over break.

After an opening game win over Mountain State, the Cyclones rolled Howard to get into the final game of the Cyclone Challenge, where they faced Iona for the tournament championship.

Iowa State fell to the Gaels by a 89-72 final to place second in the round-robin tournament.

Iona’s guards led the way, with Ricky Soliver and Steve Burtt scoring 23 points each. Soliver hit four of his five three-pointers, while Burtt nailed all 10 of his free throws.

“We knew all their guards could shoot,” said forward Rahshon Clark. “We tried to contest as best we could, but they made them.”

In all, Iona hit 24-of-27 free throws while Iowa State made 12 of their 20 free shots.

After getting at least 10 steals in their first three games, the Cyclones were able to take eight steals off Iona.

“If we had gotten 10 steals, it might have been a different outcome,” said coach Wayne Morgan.

“The fact that they were able to take care of the ball was not a positive for us.”

Will Blalock led the Cyclones with 17 points. Curtis Stinson added 16 points and six assists while Clark chipped in 15.

Five Cyclones scored in double figures in the 96-62 drubbing of Howard, with Clark leading the way with 18.

Iowa State shot 68 percent in the first half and finished the game with a 57.8 shooting percentage.

In their opening Cyclone Challenge game, Iowa State held off Portland State 72-64. Stinson led all scorers with 21 points and three other Cyclones joined him in double figures.

Clark scored 17 points, had eight rebounds and dished out four assists. Blalock added 13 points and eight assists.

Stinson was rolling on all cylinders in the Cyclones’ season opener, hitting 15-of-24 shots from the field for a career high 35 points, as Iowa State beat Mountain State, 101-82.

Shawn Taggart made his Cyclone debut to the tune of 16 points and five rebounds, while Blalock scored 13 and had 11 assists.

– The Associated Press contributed to this article.