After dropping its conference opener to the Kansas State Wildcats on Tuesday, Iowa State men’s basketball lost a close battle with No. 8 West Virginia.

West Virginia came out on top against Iowa State 70-65 Friday night. 

The first half was a close fight, thanks to numerous mistakes from both sides.  

West Virginia went 7-15 from the free throw line and 1-5 on three pointers. Iowa State committed 10 turnovers and went to the free throw line three times.

While the first half wasn’t perfect, Iowa State freshman Dudley Blackwell played 12 minutes with three assists and one rebound.

George Conditt saw eight efficient minutes in the first half as well, scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds. Conditt played three total minutes during the game against Kansas State on Tuesday.

Iowa State went into the break up 31-30, with junior guard Rasir Bolton scored a team high 13 points in the first half. Bolton attacked the basket, going 5-10 from the field. 

Iowa State went on a 12-0 run in the second half to give itself a 43-34 lead with just under 16 minutes left in the half. The second half stayed back and forth, with 15 lead changes. 

Down the stretch, two late Iowa State turnovers gave West Virginia chances to redeem itself at the free throw line. The Mountaineers used the second chances to make late free throws and reestablish their size near the rim to grab second chance rebounds.

Bolton would finish with a game-high 25 points on 9-17 from the field, the most by a Cyclone this season. Bolton also had four assists and four rebounds. He played all 40 minutes

Jalen Coleman-Lands ended with 11 points, his biggest impact coming from his 3-5 night from deep.