How does a team commit 25 turnovers and attempt 29 fewer shots than its opponents and win?

For Iowa State on Saturday, it was by making 20 more free throws than Texas A&M, holding the Aggies to 36 percent shooting and dominating the backboards.

“I think that we’ve kind of identified how we’re going to have to win this year,” ISU Coach Tim Floyd said. “We’re going to have to go out and hold people under 37, 38 percent every night as long as we’re going to continue to turn the basketball over.”

The Cyclones never trailed in the contest and took control of the game early after three consecutive three-pointers, two by Martin Rancik and one by Jerry Curry, pushed the score to 17-6.

ISU upped its lead to as many as 20 in the first half, and settled into the intermission with a 16-point advantage.

Floyd said that offensive rebounding and strong defense staked the Cyclones out to the early advantage.

The Cyclones led by as many as 22 in the second stanza, and hung on to win 68-59 in the physical contest, which featured 25 fouls committed by the Aggies.

Marcus Fizer led the Cyclones by recording a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Fellow freshman Martin Rancik popped in 12 points, while sophomore Stevie Johnson tallied 11.

“It was a very physical game,” said Fizer, who suffered an elbow to the head which forced him out of the game’s final minutes. “We just tried to maintain concentration and do whatever we could to come out with a win.”

Paul Shirley played another steady game by hauling in a club-high 13 rebounds while contributing eight points.

“I thought we had some outstanding defensive efforts,” Floyd said.

“It was ugly, but we won,” Rancik said. “We really needed this win.”

Rancik said the team needs to concentrate more on ball handling and making the smart passes in order to pick up a much-needed road win on Wednesday night at Oklahoma. “We need to cut those turnovers down,” he said.

“There’s a lot of things I think we’re doing outstanding, but will we grow until we stop turning the ball over? No,” Floyd said.

Floyd said the team is not having problems identifying its scorers, but is struggling to merely get the ball down the floor and into position to score.

The victory upped ISU’s record to 9-8 on the season and 2-2 in the Big 12. Texas A&M now is 6-9 and winless in five conference games.

Floyd also mentioned that four of this year’s crew will be red-shirted, including junior Tony Rampton and freshmen Chris Ridens, Walter Moore and Andy Stensrud.