AMES — It wasn’t pretty, but the Cyclones picked up their third win of the season against Alabama State on Tuesday.

The Cyclones hung on till the end and took down Alabama State 68-60, surpassing their win total from a season ago. It’s the first 3-0 start since the 2018-19 season with a win.

The Cyclones came out with the defensive intensity head coach T.J. Otzelberger has wanted in building this new-look team. Alabama State called timeout less than three minutes into the first half after turning the ball over four times and shot 0-2 from the floor.

At the 15:39 mark, the Cyclones led 8-0 and turned the Hornets over five times.

But poor shooting from Iowa State allowed the Hornets to stick around and even take a 14-12 lead with nine minutes left in the half.

Until Aljaz Kunc knocked down a three-pointer with 2:32 left in the half, the Cyclones were 0-10 from deep with two air balls.

A few positives in the first 20 minutes for Cyclones started with their turnover problem. Or lack thereof in the first half. The Cyclones walked into the locker room with only one turnover and led 27-20.

Izaiah Brockington led the Cyclones with 13 points at halftime and was the only scorer in double figures at the break.

Coming out of halftime, two of the Cyclones’ major contributors in George Conditt and Tyrese Hunter each picked up their third fouls less than two and half minutes into the half. The fouls led to lineup adjustments and Alabama State forced the Cyclones into three turnovers to open the half and tied the game at 29-29 less than three minutes in.

Iowa State built a 45-35 lead by pushing the pace and getting out fast in transition off its defense. The Cyclones got there on a 6-0 run with five turnovers for the Hornets eight minutes into the half.

The lead ballooned to 12 with eight minutes left for the Cyclones thanks to offensive improvements from Gabe Kalscheur and Hunter.

But the Cyclones couldn’t put together continuous stops from there and the Hornets came back into the game, making it a three-point Iowa State lead with three minutes left.

But then Alabama State went on a scoring drought at the worst possible time over the last four minutes of action, before adding on a late layup to make it a 63-55 game.

Hunter finished with a season-high 19 points, six assists and three steals. 13 of his 17 points came in the second half.

Brockington led the Cyclones with 23 points and 13 rebounds, good for his second double-double of the young season. He was the first Cyclone this season to reach 20 points this season.

Robert Jones season-high nine points, along with two rebounds, one block and two steals.

Iowa State returns to action 5 p.m. Sunday in Hilton Coliseum to face Grambling State.