Iowa State won its sixth straight game when it beat Iowa Thursday night. Here are three takeaways from the game.

Freshmen continue to improve

Iowa State was led by freshmen Lindell Wigginton for yet another game. He dropped a game-high 24 points (9-for-18 shooting) and hit a number of big shots.

Along with Wigginton, the Cyclones were aided by freshmen Cameron Lard and Terrence Lewis.

“There was a time we had three freshmen out there for several minutes,” said coach Steve Prohm. “It was great for them to have that experience in an environment like this.”

Lewis played just nine minutes, but in those nine minutes he hit a pair of big 3-pointers and finished with eight points and a steal.

Lard also saw limited time (12 minutes) but he chipped in with six points and three offensive rebounds.

Rebounding keeps game close

Iowa State is far from an elite rebounding team. The Cyclones rank 99th out of 351 teams in defensive rebounding percentage, and Iowa took advantage on Thursday.

The Hawkeyes outrebounded the Cyclones 53-31, including a 20-to-6 edge on the offensive glass. That led to a 16-6 edge for Iowa in second-chance points.

“We gave up 20 offensive rebounds,” said junior guard Nick Weiler-Babb, who grabbed six boards. “We can improve on that. There’s some good things we can take [from the game] but we can also grow… we still have a lot of things to improve.”

Hans Brase, who played the final 14 minutes of the game after coming off the bench, tied Solomon Young for the Cyclone team lead with seven rebounds. Brase gave the Cyclones a spark and played physical.

Along with his rebounding, Brase was able to get to the free throw line frequently, hitting 5-of-6 from the line.

“When they were going zone a lot, we wanted Hans in the game to be in the high post to be a decision-maker and a facilitator from the high post,” Prohm said. “Also to help against the pressure, against the 1-2-2.”

Cyclones face short break

Iowa State had just two days off between Monday’s Northern Illinois game and the in-state rivalry with the Hawkeyes, and it will only have two days between Thursday’s win and the next game.

Iowa State plays Alcorn State (2-7, 0-0 SWAC) Sunday at 5 p.m. The Braves are possibly one of the worst teams in the country.

At No. 338 out of 351 teams according to KenPom, the metrics don’t like Alcorn State. The Braves are also 0-7 against Division I teams this year since both of their wins have been against teams in lower divisions.

Iowa State and Alcorn State share two common opponents — Baylor and Northern Iowa — both of which beat Alcorn State. The Bears won 78-61 while the Panthers won 73-45.

That being said, Iowa State knows having three games in a week is tough, especially with multiple injuries and after a highly-emotional game.

“We gotta enjoy it tonight,” Weiler-Babb said. “And then we’ve got an off day tomorrow which is nice. Then we’ve got to get back to work and start a whole new day. As good as this win is we’ve got to get it, celebrate it tonight and then it’s over with tomorrow.”