MINNEAPOLIS — Iowa State picked a funny time to have a defensive lapse.

The Cyclones, one of the top defensive teams in the Big 12, let down their guard against Central Connecticut State Thursday afternoon, but were able to come up with a 78-68 win to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday.

The Cyclones, up by as many as 19 points in the first half, held a seemingly comfortable 57-42 lead with 16:16 left in the contest.

Perhaps it was too comfortable, for the Blue Devils of CCSU simply went off, scoring 27 points to the Cyclones’ 12 over the next 10 minutes to tie the game at 69 with 6:13 left to play.

“I guess we just kind of relaxed. We really lost focus, and they came back on us,” ISU guard Kantrail Horton said. “We let up. They got their confidence, and we can’t let that kind of thing happen anymore,” Jamaal Tinsley said.

The Cyclones were able to get back to the things that allowed them to get the big lead, and in the space of 4:12, the Cyclones scored 12 points while holding CCSU scoreless.

There was no miracle comeback this time for the Blue Devils, and the Cyclones held on for a 10-point win.

“We got what we thought we were going to get. That team is well-coached, and they won their conference. The fact that the game was close had everything to do with them,” said ISU coach Larry Eustachy.

The Cyclones were led by First-Team All-American Marcus Fizer, who scored 27 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

“I wasn’t happy with the way we played as a team, especially on the defensive end. It’s something that we can’t continue to do if we’re going to keep going in this tournament,”Fizer said.

But perhaps the most valuable player in the game was Jamaal Tinsley. The point guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., tallied a career-high 26 points, while adding six assists, six rebounds and four steals.

“It’s just opportunity.They were giving me the shots, so I was taking them,” Tinsley said.

“I thought Jamaal was fantastic. There was no way we would’ve won without him. He changes our team when he’s in there,” Eustachy said.

A good effort wasn’t much consolation for CCSU guard Rick Mickens, who scored 19 points in the game.

“We didn’t come here to stay close, or to play a good game. We came here to win, and we didn’t get it done today,” Mickens said.

The Cyclones also saw solid play from Michael Nurse, who scored 16 points, and Stevie Johnson, who grabbed nine rebounds to go along with eight points.