AMES — Tre King’s Cyclone debut results in the Cyclones having no problems beating Western Michigan, taking a 73-57 win on Sunday.

The storyline surrounding the game was the long-awaited return of forward Tre King. King transferred into Iowa State ahead of the 2021-22 season, but sat out for well over a season due to the NCAA ruling him ineligible.

Upon his return, King scored 11 points on 5-6 shooting, showcasing his athleticism with some high-flying plays.

It has been a long journey for King, and his Hilton Coliseum debut certainly made for an emotional day.

“It’s been a long time coming,” King said. “A lot of long days, hard nights.”

King continued by discussing that as the day came closer, the days began to take longer and longer.

“The closer and closer I got to it, the longer it felt away,” King said. “I felt like a kid on Christmas counting down the days.”

Otzelberger credited some of this time that King spent as an observer as a reason for his success. Otzelberger said the hustle and heart Iowa State plays with is what makes the team special, and King has had the chance to observe that.

“It’s hard to stay patient,”Otzelberger said. “If you play really hard, you defend and you rebound, things go your way. He saw that first-hand last season.”

As for the game, it did not take long for the Cyclones to start cooking, launching out to a 15-3 lead on hot shooting from Caleb Grill and Gabe Kalscheur.

Western Michigan nailed 13 three-pointers as a team, but Iowa State was able to hold onto this lead for the remainder of the game, largely thanks to an overall strong shooting performance.

Iowa State was able to score the ball at will, nailing 31-49 shots, including 7-18 from a distance.

It was a balanced effort for the Cyclones on that side of the ball, with Grill, Kalscheur, King, Robert Jones and Jaren Holmes each finishing with double-digit points. Grill led the way with 14 on 5-7 shooting.

“Balance for us is really important,” Otzelberger said. “We need everybody to be ready.”

The major cause of concern for the Cyclones was a first-half injury to center Osun Osunniyi. In the first half, Osunniyi went down with an ankle injury that caused him to slowly limp to the locker room with the help of two trainers.

Osunniyi would return to the bench after halftime; however, he would not return to action on Sunday.

Otzelberger was uncertain of Osunniyi’s status, saying he will have a better answer after running a few tests.

The next game for the Cyclones will be a matchup against Omaha on Wednesday in Hilton Coliseum.