Iowa State University’s first-ever men’s basketball tournament proved to be one to remember as the hosts captured the inaugural Cyclone Challenge title.

The Cyclones (4-0) topped both the Tennessee State University Tigers and Richmond University Spiders en route to the championship.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Dedric Willoughby led the way for ISU in Saturday night’s title game with 28 points as the Cyclones overwhelmed Richmond 82-64.

Iowa State trailed only once early and dominated the turnover department, which Head Coach Tim Floyd cited as the key to the success of the offense.

“I think, as a team, we’re functioning better on the offensive end of the floor because we’re not turning it over as much,” he said.

Unlike the previous matchup versus Tennessee State, ISU was able to penetrate against the Spiders which allowed for numerous inside buckets and a decisive advantage in free throw shooting.

The Cyclones connected on 27 of 37 free throw attempts, while the Spiders shot only 7-15.

This was also a major factor in the outcome, according to Floyd.

“I think ultimately we ended up winning the game by shooting more free throws, getting to the line more,” he said.

Floyd added, “I think that we create a lot of that for ourselves off the dribble penetration. We did a nice job of getting the ball into the teeth of their zone.”

Although they were unable to mount a serious assault at the Cyclone lead, Richmond was able to stay within striking distance throughout the night until Willoughby knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key to ice the game with two minutes remaining.

Kenny Pratt contributed 15 points to the Cyclone cause, which also received a boost from junior forward Shawn Bankhead who tallied 13 points and five rebounds.

In their opening encounter, the Cyclones knocked off the defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Tigers 75-67 behind a ferocious second half effort.

Willoughby again paced ISU with 27 points and fellow guard Carlo Walton sparked a vicious pressing defense that allowed the Cyclones to pull away in the last stanza.

Floyd cited the press applied by his team as the difference in the contest.

“The biggest factor, I thought, in the game was our press in the second half,” he said. “We created some offense off of our defense, and it enabled us to go get some cheap baskets.”

Despite being out-rebounded 42-27, the Cyclones played virtually mistake-free in the last 20 minutes, committing only one turnover to the Tigers 12.

After jumping out to a 19-10 lead, behind a flurry of scoring from Willoughby, ISU fell victim to ice-cold shooting and a 17-2 Tiger run to trail 32-28 at the half.

The Cyclones went on a 20-4 run of their own early in the second half after unleashing the full-court press triggered by junior guards Walton and Jacy Holloway.

Floyd was especially pleased with the play of Walton, who finished with five steals.

“Carlo Walton gave us a big lift,” Floyd said. “I thought he played his best basketball since he’s been at Iowa State.”

After Willoughby electrified the 10,826 in attendance at Hilton Coliseum with a four-point play, a scary moment put the game of basketball into perspective.

While going for yet another Cyclone steal, Willoughby inadvertently undercut leaping Tennessee State guard Damon Page who then crashed to the arena floor in a horrific tumble.

The junior from Gallatin, Tenn., laid motionless in front of the Tiger bench for nearly 10 minutes before paramedics immobilized him and carried him off on a stretcher to a standing ovation from the previously hushed crowd.

X-rays later revealed that Page suffered no serious damage and that he would be able to return to practice on Tuesday.

Tennessee State would eventually tie the game at 62-62 before Pratt, who again finished with 15 points, layed in a beautiful feed from Holloway which gave the Cyclones the lead for good.

Afterward, Floyd expressed the importance of the game towards the Cyclones’ confidence.

“That win tonight, I felt like we’d just beat Kansas,” he said. “Because every game is a confidence builder for our group.

“A loss tonight would have taken us a couple of steps back,” Floyd added. “We have to learn how to win, and I think we’re in the process of doing that.”

In a ceremony following the championship game, Willoughby and Bankhead were named to the All-Tournament team along with Terrence Fitzpatrick of the Texas Pan-American Broncs, Calvin Morris of Tennessee State, who defeated the Broncs 74-68 in the consolation game, and Eric Poole of Richmond.