Tyrese Haliburton’s role in the starting lineup for Iowa State could change as soon as the Cyclones take the court Dec. 3. He made sure to make the most of his start Monday against Nebraska Omaha in Iowa State’s 82-55 win.

In the presumed final game of suspensions for Cameron Lard and Zoran Talley Jr., Haliburton — who has started every game except for the season opener after sophomore guard Lindell Wigginton went down with a left foot strain — dropped a career-high 16 points. His previous career-high was 12, which he scored in his first game.

He didn’t need much time to beat that career-high. Haliburton topped that number less than nine minutes into the game against Omaha, when he hit a 3-pointer to get to 14 points.

“I just want him to shoot open shots,” said coach Steve Prohm. “I want all our guys to shoot open shots, to shoot good shots. It was great to see him step up and make shots tonight, we needed him to [score] early.”

Haliburton finished the half on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

The 6-foot-5 freshman point guard has taken a jack-of-all-trades role since stepping into the starting lineup. When his teammates were on fire offensively against Illinois on Nov. 20, Haliburton focused on defense, taking only two shots.

The next game, he chipped in with three 3-pointers for nine points and eight rebounds, along with two blocks and two steals.

So naturally, when Iowa State needed shooting against Omaha, Haliburton was ready to fire. Marial Shayok, Talen Horton-Tucker and Michael Jacobson caught up in the second half, each reaching double-figures.

After his initial outburst of 14 points in the first nine minutes, Haliburton scored two for the rest of the half. He didn’t attempt a field goal the entire second half, let alone score, but dished out two assists in the first 90 seconds instead.

“I was just trying to share the ball,” Haliburton said. “Just going out there and making the right play. There were a couple times where other guys were open.”

When Haliburton slowed down the scoring, the rest of the team picked it up.

Shayok finished with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Joining Shayok and Haliburton in double-figures were Terrence Lewis (15), Horton-Tucker (14) and Jacobson (13).

After the game, Prohm didn’t comment on any updated starting lineups. With limited guard options in Wigginton’s absence, Haliburton could stay in the starting lineup. Lard started 16 games as a redshirt freshman in 2017-18 and led the Cyclones in rebounds, but Jacobson’s emergence and the lack of guard depth could mean Lard comes back with a role off the bench for now.

Regardless, it won’t be long until Wigginton returns. Prohm said Wigginton is set to return in mid-December.

In the meantime, Haliburton’s do-it-all role will continue.

In addition to his 16 points, Haliburton added four rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. His plus/minus of plus-29 (the amount by which Iowa State outscored Omaha with Haliburton on the floor) was second on the team behind Horton-Tucker’s plus-33.

“He just brings a lot of energy to our team,” Prohm said. “He’s just got a charismatic personality that I think the fans like, that I know I like a lot. He’s been fun to coach.”