DALLAS — You would think a hand sprain would hurt a shooter’s touch.

Apparently no one told that to Curtis Stinson.

The Big 12 Freshman of the Year torched the nets in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament Thursday, missing only two shots in Iowa State’s 78-64 win over Kansas State.

“The effort put forth by Curtis Stinson was phenomenal, incredible,” ISU head coach Wayne Morgan said. “He’s got the heart of a lion.”

Stinson had a game-high 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting, despite his left hand being almost completely covered by a protective brace. Stinson said it’s not as bad as it looks.

“At first it was a problem, but it’s OK now,” Stinson said. “The hand is doing fine; my trainer makes sure I’m all right. I’m handling it, I’m playing hard and I don’t feel it too much.”

Wildcats head coach Jim Wooldridge said he wasn’t surprised at Stinson’s performance.

“He’s a great player; I’ve sung his praises all year long,” Wooldridge said. “The first time I saw him on film I saw he had some great abilities, and I’m even more convinced of that now.”

Stinson wasn’t the only thing clicking for the Cyclones as they dominated the Wildcats defensively all afternoon, forcing 15 turnovers and holding Kansas State to 37 percent from the field. Morgan credits a lot of that to the Cyclone zone.

“We were very active in the zone today,” Morgan said. “We kind of knew exactly what we would need to do to beat Kansas State. In the first half, because of the intensity of the zone, we were taking their shots away and then covering inside so they couldn’t throw it in.”

After going up 17-8 early in the game, the Cyclones never led by less than nine points for the rest of the contest.

“We were on a mission today,” senior guard Jake Sullivan said. “We were on loose balls, we were trying to take charge. It was an all-around team effort.”

Sullivan finished the day with 21 points, and junior center Jared Homan had a double-double, pouring in 14 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

“Jake Sullivan’s intensity and determination at the beginning of the game really helped us,” Morgan said. “Jared Homan put forth an incredible effort on the boards and everything.”

Freshman Will Blalock had his most productive game in weeks, chipping in 10 points, five assists and two steals.

“Will was terrific today; he enabled Curtis to play without the ball for stretches in the game,” Morgan said. “He’s improved his defense, and he’s playing hard.”

The Wildcats were led by senior Tim Ellis’ 21 points, but their leading scorer of the season, junior Jeremiah Massey, was held to only three points before fouling out with 8:26 left.

Lurking in the shadows for eighth-seeded Cyclones now is top-seeded Oklahoma State. The only time the two teams met this season resulted in an 88-67 ISU loss, the only defeat for the Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum. Sullivan said he and his team aren’t intimidated by the No. 7 Cowboys.

Stinson said it will be a different Cyclone team that meets the Cowboys at noon Friday.

“We’re a better team now. My thought is we have to come out strong,” Stinson said. “They’re a great team and this is a rematch. Hopefully, we’ll play like we did today.”

Morgan will head back to the drawing board in the 20 hours between the two games to figure out a way to knock off Oklahoma State and keep his Cyclones’ hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth alive.

“[Oklahoma State] is a very good team,” Morgan said. “I can’t tell you what’s going to happen tomorrow, but our coaching staff will be watching a lot of film to make adjustments to put our best game out on the floor.”