AMES — Shooting struggles in each half did not stop the Cyclones from ending non-conference play on a positive note as they relied on a successful start to defeat New Hampshire 85-70.

With the help of the return of forward Hason Ward, a historic performance from Keshon Gilbert and sharp shooting in spurts, Iowa State held on to defeat the Wildcats, despite a sluggish defensive performance at times.

Even when the Wildcats went on runs at times in both halves, the early work by the Cyclones was enough to propel them to their sixth straight win heading into Big 12 play.

A pendulum swinging first half

Although the Cyclones would lead 43-35 at the end of the first 20 minutes, it was one of the most sluggish first halves Iowa State has had at home this season.

After it won the opening tip, Iowa State started out like it usually has against the non-conference opponents at Hilton. A steal and a bucket for each Robert Jones and Tamin Lipsey in the first 30 seconds, followed by swift buckets in transition had the Cyclones up 8-0 through the first 90 seconds.

The Cyclones were a step ahead of the Wildcats right off the jump, and flew across the court in transition, resulting in quick buckets.

However, halfway through the first half, the Cyclones got into a bit of a slump. Following a three from Lipsey to put the team up by 14, Iowa State missed on its next six field goals and the Wildcats started to pounce back into the game with a few buckets of their own.

“We’ve got to be better at understanding when we have an advantage situation in transition,” head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “I thought today there was a complacency in terms of you start to get a bit of a lead, and you think you can take an okay shot and then we get distracted and now they are flying the ball at us.”

Lipsey then reached into his Harlem Globetrotters bag and pulled out a 360 layup, and although it needed to be tipped in by Ward, it ended a three-minute scoring drought. After that, the Cyclones were back in business, but not for long.

Iowa State scored 10 straight points on perfect shooting, including a deep-ball from Tre King, and extended the lead to 20 with 3:34 left in the half.

“It is really all about defense really,” Lipsey said. “Even though it was the offensive side we that were struggling on we really just preach defense and getting stops.”

But again the wheels fell off for the Cyclones, and this time in an alarming fashion.

Iowa State ended the first half missing its last seven shots, which New Hampshire took advantage of as they scored 14 unanswered points to end the opening half.

Gilbert commands the court, struggles continue

The second half started out much like the first half with Iowa State going on a quick 10-0 run, only this time it kept the momentum going and took back another commanding lead.

Thanks to some dicey passes from Lipsey and Gilbert, Iowa State was getting the ball to its shooters, and the shots were falling. By the end of the first eight minutes, the Cyclones were on a 23-8 run, as they connected on nine of their first 14 shots.

“Coming out of halftime we did a good job of putting them on their heels and being able to get to the rim easily,” Lipsey said.

Iowa State traded shots from that point but finished on another rough shooting stretch despite still winning by 15.

The similarities from the first half came back to haunt them in the Cyclones’ final stretch. Through the final eight minutes of the game, the Cyclones connected on two of their 14 shots and slipped back into the slump that they saw at the end of the first half.

There was a moment late in the game during a timeout where Otzelberger got loud with his players after a handful of possessions that the Wildcats easily scored on.

“My job is to make sure they stay focused and we play every possession exactly the same,” Otzelberger said. “With a great mental focus, a great effort, a great pride and a passion. There was some possessions on that stretch when we did not do that. It’s important for them to know it is good when it is good and we are going to challenge them to make it good when it is not.”

When the final buzzer shot through the speakers of Hilton, Iowa State finished shooting 45.9% from the field and 36% from 3-point land.

Outside of the Cyclones improving to 11-2 on the season, Gilbert had himself an afternoon to remember. The junior guard recorded the eighth triple-double in school history with a 10 point, 10 rebound and 11 assist performance against New Hampshire.

The return of Ward

Heading into conference play, the Cyclones will now have a former member of their starting lineup back in Ward, who saw his first minutes on the floor in over a month after being out with a foot injury.

He checked in three and a half minutes into the game and made his presence felt on both ends of the court, but specifically on the defensive side. Ward swatted a trio of Wildcat shots in the first half and was consistently working for rebounds in the paint.

“It’s been so long since he has been on the court I forgot about how much of an impact he is on both sides of the ball,” Lipsey said. “Everything [Ward] does is with a lot of intensity and it helps our defense.”

Offensively, his teammates tried to get Ward alley-oop dunks and shots inside the paint, but his time away from the court showed as they failed to get him in the right situation. Ward showed flashes of potential in his three games earlier this season, and for him, being back on the court was all he was focused on.

“The last six weeks I just took it day by day trying to get back,” Ward said. “Being there for my brothers, being important to the team as much as I can. Feels great to be back.”

Ward finished the game with 10 points on 5-for-8 shooting, six rebounds and three blocks in his 17 minutes on the floor. The Cyclones now have a deeper rotation, and if Ward continues to show positive signs during his continued recovery, there could be another starting lineup change.

Otzelberger noted the impact that Ward has on both ends of the floor, and noted his drive to get back on the court.

“He is very disruptive,” Otzelberger said. “He has worked really hard to put himself in the position to come right back and play so it was great to see.”