Iowa State returned to Hilton Coliseum Sunday afternoon to take on the Aggies of North Carolina A&T. 

After an 88-39 win over IUPUI a week prior, the Cyclones would look for back-to-back wins. 

And they did just that. Now 2-0, Iowa State came out on top 80-43. 

While the Cyclones didn’t struggle to stay ahead of the Aggies, the ball going into the hoop didn’t seem to be in their favor. 

The same starting five appeared from game one into game two with Osun Osunniyi putting two points on the board immediately and Aljaz Kunc leading the team in points (12) and rebounds (5) in the first half. 

“We’re going to continue to challenge him [Osunniyi],” head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. 

Nonetheless, it was the field goals that seemed to get the best of the Cyclones. 

No three-point basket was made for Iowa State until about six minutes into the game. Within those six minutes, the Cyclones were 3-8 from the floor and 0-3 from the three-point range. 

Three-point shots were a struggle for both teams. First-half stats showed the Cyclones shooting 27% from the three-point area and 22% for the Aggies. 

Moreover, the Cyclones found themselves shooting 29% overall, with the Aggies also not far from that percentage.

Iowa State was able to get that percentage up to 40% by the end of the half, along with a 17-4 run to close out the half. The Aggies finished the half with a shooting percentage of 28%. 

So, what helped the Cyclones to stay ahead?

Back-to-back-to-back threes from Caleb Grill, Gabe Kalscheur and Kunc helped to build a large lead in the first half. 

Additionally, being 8-11 in free throws was also helpful for the Cyclones. 

The Aggies had 14 turnovers, allowing Iowa State to score 23 points off of them. Additionally, the Cyclones finished with 44 rebounds, including 17 of them being offensively. 

“You get a second chance,” Kunc said about being able to grab offensive rebounds. “We got 17 today; we’re gonna go for 20 on Sunday.” 

Freshman Tamin Lipsey grabbed his first points as an Iowa State Cyclone. With no points in the game against IUPUI, Lipsey finished with 10 points against the Aggies. 

“I’m proud of Tamin,” Otzelberger said. “When you watch him out there, he doesn’t look like a freshman. He has poise; he’s a competitor.”

As the second half began, Iowa State looked more comfortable on the floor. 

While the shooting percentage was a little less than half, the team went on an 11-3 run to start the second half, including a 7-0 run over a minute and 10 seconds. 

The Cyclones were able to bump their shooting percentage to 47%, while the Aggies dropped to 26%. As for the three-point range, the Cyclones were 6-20 but 10-13 in free throws. 

Kunc led the team in points (17), rebounds (10) and assists (4). Osun Osunniyi was not far behind with 16 points, and Jaren Holmes contributed 13. 

“All 12, 13 guys brought energy,” Kunc said. “The managers, athletic training staff–that’s what we do every day. We play for each other.” 

The Cyclones will return home on Nov. 20 to take on Milwaukee.