After knocking off Alcorn State on Tuesday by a score of 87-58, No. 9 Iowa State raised its record to 2-0 by handing Maryland Eastern Shore an 82-62 loss on Sunday.

Maryland came out early behind the shooting of Marcus Cheek, who led the Hawks at the break with 10 points.

A dismal shooting percentage of 36 percent held the Cyclones to a mere 28 points to Eastern Shore’s 30 at the break.

“We played a team that was very prepared today. You could tell that they were a team that had been on the road,” said ISU Head Basketball Coach Tim Floyd. “I was encouraged by the limited turnovers and fouls, but we didn’t shoot the ball well.”

A defensive stand by the Cyclones to start the second half was the turning point for ISU. The Cyclones defense stifled Eastern Shore, holding the Hawks to a game low 33 percent shooting percentage for the second half.

“The first 13 minutes of the second half was a key for us. The defense came out and did a fine job in the second half,” Floyd said.

Despite being pleased with the defensive effort, Floyd still voiced his concern for the offensive woes of the Cyclones.

“I think that was the most missed layups that I’ve seen in a ball game. We also didn’t shoot well from the free throw line. If we do those things then we could have been in the 90s or maybe the 100s,” Floyd said.

Dedric Willoughby, who finished the game with 23 points on five-of-nine shooting from the three-point line, led the Cyclones offense in scoring.

“Dedric got his numbers up today, but I think right now he is a little top heavy from the three-point line. I’d like to see him get to the free-throw line and that’s something that we will address. We’ve got to get him to the line more,” Floyd said.

Another bright spot for the Cyclones was the improved play of Tony Rampton, who finished the game with nine points and nine rebounds.

“I thought Tony Rampton played inspired basketball today. He works so hard and watching him grow is a lot of fun. He’s an effort player and he just gets better and better,” Floyd said.

ISU senior center Kelvin Cato, who’s three-game suspension was over after the Alcorn State matchup, remained on the bench against Eastern Shore.

“As soon as he’s ready we’ll get him in the paint. He has to make strides in practice first. Right now he has someone in front of him. In fact, he has two or three guys in front of him. Practice is essential for him,” Floyd said.

ISU’s next match up will be in the Cyclone Challenge at Hilton versus Tennessee-Martin on Thursday.