Iowa State’s Big 12 season could hardly have started off worse.

Despite shooting 68 percent from the field in the first half, the Cyclones went 6-for-26 in the second half and were unable to prevent Kansas State from walking out of Hilton with a 91-75 victory.

Here are three takeaways from Friday’s game.

Defense Goes Missing

Iowa State’s defense was on the ropes all game, giving up 13 3-pointers and allowing Kansas State forward Dean Wade to score 34 points on 13-of-16 shooting, including 6-of-8 on 3-pointers.

Three players (Kamau Stokes, Barry Brown Jr. and Dean Wade) combined to score 78 of the Wildcats’ 91 points. It was as if the Cyclones had left their defense somewhere in the snow-filled Hilton Coliseum parking lot.

Coach Steve Prohm called the defensive performance in the loss “disappointing and unacceptable.”

“We weren’t tough on the defensive end, in any area,” Prohm said.

The Cyclones really struggled to defend the high pick-and-roll with Stokes and Wade, either letting Stokes get to the hoop or providing Wade with an open three. Particularly in the second half, Kansas State used that offensive set time and time again to build its lead and take control of the game.

Prohm was frustrated that Wade was allowed to take control of the game so easily.

“[Wade] is a very good player,” Prohm said. “But you can’t repeatedly give him open shots.”

The Cyclones took a step back on both sides of the ball on Friday night, but with a difficult conference schedule up ahead, the Cyclones will have to improve rapidly on the defensive side of the ball to win games.

Injury Updates

With sophomore guard Jakolby Long returning from a concussion to play eight minutes on Friday, the Cyclones’ rotation grew to eight. More importantly, however, are the two players still on the sidelines.

Forwards Zoran Talley Jr. and Hans Brase were still out for Friday’s game, and Prohm gave an update on the timeline for each player’s return.

“Zoran will start practicing in about 7-to-10 days,” Prohm said. “Hans, right now, I would think he’s questionable.”

That 7-to-10 day timeline for Talley Jr. to return to practice puts him out of the picture for the Cyclones until at least after the Oklahoma State game on Jan. 6. The junior forward will have been out for at least eight games before his return to game action.

As for Brase, the senior forward hasn’t yet practiced with the team, but signs are that he’s close to making his return. With a five-day break between the Texas and Oklahoma State games, it’s possible that Brase could see limited minutes in Stillwater, Oklahoma. For now, though, the Cyclones will have the same eight players available when Texas comes to Ames on New Year’s Day.

Poor free throw Shooting

Free throw shooting is often talked about as a crucial part of winning basketball games. Games can hinge on making or missing shots at the charity stripe.

Iowa State had 37 free throw attempts Friday and only made 25. That 67.6 percent performance would put the Cyclones in a tie for 264th in the country in free throw percentage.

Freshman guard Lindell Wigginton (23 points and four rebounds) said that the missed free throws had a big impact on the flow of the game.

“Missed free throws cost you at the end of the game,” Wigginton said. “Trying to get wins in this league, you can’t go [25-for-37] from the line.”

One particular moment from the second half proves just how important free throws are to winning basketball games.

With 13:30 to play and Iowa State down 63-54, Wigginton was fouled by Stokes from behind the arc. Three missed free throws later and 19 seconds later, Kansas State’s Xavier Sneed hit a 3-pointer to push the Wildcats’ lead to 12. That six-point swing stopped any Iowa State momentum and kept Kansas State firmly in control.

Continuing to miss opportunities at the charity stripe will only make a difficult Big 12 slate even tougher for the Cyclones.