Cyclones lose barnburner against Arizona in Maui opener

Senior Nick Weiler-Babb looks for an opening to make a play during the game against Texas Southern at Hilton Coliseum on Nov. 12. The Cyclones won 85-73.

Noah Rohlfing

Iowa State started strong but was unable to hold on in its first Maui Invitational game, falling to the Arizona Wildcats 71-66. 

The Cyclones missed their first nine 3-point attempts, but the Cyclones got into the paint early and often to build a nine-point lead heading into the half, 36-27. 

The 3-ball never really arrived for the Cyclones, with Nick Weiler-Babb the only player to make multiple 3-pointers and a 4-for-24 team finish for the game. 

Iowa State had four players in double figures but no bench points. Marial Shayok led the Cyclones with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

After building a 10-point lead with 12 minutes to play, The Wildcats stormed back and tied the game at 58 with four minutes remaining and took a 63-60 lead with 90 seconds to play. 

Down 67-63 with 23.9 seconds left, the Cyclones were unable to mount a comeback and will fall into the consolation bracket. 

The Cyclones will play again on Tuesday, but their opponent is not yet known.