Sullivan powers ISU blowout win

Jeff Stell

Baylor figured out that ISU freshman guard Jake Sullivan is one of the top shooters in the Big 12 Conference, but only after Sullivan burned the Bears for 16 first-half points in the Cyclones 72-51 victory.Sullivan finished with 19 points Thursday, but it was his first half performance that keyed the 17th-ranked Cyclones to a 17-point halftime advantage. Sullivan finished 6-of-12 from the field, including four three-pointers.Sullivan is averaging 11.2 points per game and is shooting 48.7 percent from behind the arc. The Cyclones rank third in the nation in three-point shooting percentage at 43.9.”Yeah, I was feeling real good tonight,” Sullivan said. “I’ve been working hard all week on getting the shot off a little bit quicker, so I got more shots tonight.”The Bears came out at the half and paid more attention to Sullivan. The plan worked as the freshman was limited to three points on 1-of-4 shooting.”They came out and guarded me more closely in the second half and I didn’t take as many shots,” Sullivan said. “I got more people involved in the offense and everything worked out.”The Cyclones took control in the first half as Shane Power started a 14-4 run with a three-pointer. Sullivan added a three-point play followed by a long triple and a pair of free throws. Kantrail Horton ended the run with a three-pointer and the Cyclone lead was 30-16.Horton was the only other Cyclone to crack double figures finishing with 14 points. Paul Shirley added seven points and attacked the basket for 12 rebounds, including nine offensive boards.Shirley led a rebounding effort that saw the Cyclones finish with a 43-29 advantage on the glass. The Bears tried to rattle the Cyclone offense with a physical, hard-nosed defensive style.”They had that little 1-2-1 look on defense,” Jamaal Tinsley said. “They were pressuring us out and not letting us get into our sets. It was kind of hard for us.”The victory was the third in a row for the Cyclones (16-3 overall, 4-2 Big 12). The Cyclones will take their winning streak to College Station Sunday to battle Texas A&M.”We did pretty well tonight but we got to make sure we don’t get too high after this win,” Sullivan said. “We just have to keep plugging away and try to win at Texas A&M.”