It was a back and forth game until the halfway point of the first half. Then, it was all Tennessee. 

The Volunteers went on a 16-2 run in the last eight minutes of the first half to take a 31-19 lead going into halftime. That 12-point lead helped Tennessee (15-5, 5-3 SEC) beat Iowa State (11-9, 2-6 Big 12) with a 68-45 final score in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. 

Donovan Jackson scored the first five of seven points for the Cyclones to start the game and ended the first half with eight points. He finished with 13 points.

Iowa State shot 29.6 percent from the field in the first half and it didn’t get much better in the second half with 37.5 percent, totaling 33.3 percent throughout the entire game. 

Redshirt senior guard James Daniel III was the key contributor for Tennessee in the first half going 5-for-6 from the field, 3-for-4 from behind the arc and totaling 14 points. His success continued in the second half adding on two points. Daniel III finished with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists. 

The Cyclones were also out rebounded 29-18 in the first half by the Volunteers. That margin became 49-31 in the second half allowing 22 second chance points for Tennessee compared to six second chance points for Iowa State.  

Iowa State will host No. 7 West Virginia on Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum. This will be the first game between the two teams this season.