After starting the season off 0-2 with losses to Missouri and Milwaukee, the Iowa State men’s basketball team found a new light in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

A new light that led the Cyclones to three straight victories and the Puerto Rico Tip-Off championship title after defeating Boise State 75-64 on Sunday night. It was three relatively close games, but in the end, Iowa State prevailed with the win.

Here’s the three takeaways from tonight’s game and throughout this weekend.

Nick Weiler-Babb earns MVP

Going into the weekend, redshirt junior guard Nick Weiler-Babb had 25 points total in the first two regular season games. In his first game in the tournament against Appalachian State, he scored 23 points.

Weiler-Babb scored a total of 53 points in the tournament, but his scoring wasn’t the only thing to focus on this weekend. He wasn’t just a scorer, he was an all-around player.

He had 28 rebounds, 26 assists and three steals throughout the three games in South Carolina. He also shot 17-for-30, a 56.7 percent average, from the field and 14-for-15, a 93.3 percent average, from the free-throw line.

His all-around game showed the necessary characteristics coach Steve Prohm is looking for in a point guard. Now, it’s consistency for Weiler-Babb in the future as he continues to play in the non-conference schedule and prepares himself for the Big 12 season.

Donovan Jackson shows consistency

Donovan Jackson had scored 10 total points against Missouri and Milwaukee. He became a different player in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, resulting in him breaking a record for most points scored in the tournament.

He scored 26 points in the first game against Appalachian State, 24 points in the second game against Tulsa and 26 points in the last game against Boise State. A total of 76 points broke that record.

Jackson needs to stay consistent this season as a leader and be able to have the ball in his hands during times of trouble. In the exhibition game against Emporia State, Iowa State was looking for a scorer and he stepped in at the end of the first half. He scored 13 straight points and gave the Cyclones a 12-point lead going into the half.

After these three games, Prohm will need Jackson to continue these ways of scoring to keep Iowa State on a roll, especially in the Big 12 season.

Iowa State needs to close games

Iowa State has faced its fair share of runs in the past couple of games resulting in closer games than expected.

In the first game against Appalachian State at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, Iowa State was up by 14 points with 1:22 left in the game. That lead continued to dwindle and resulted in a six-point win for the Cyclones.

The second game against Tulsa, the Cyclones had a 16-point lead with 10:03 left in the second half. After that, Tulsa went on a 14-0 run until Iowa State scored with 4:48 left in the game. The Cyclones would win by two.

Finally, the third game against Boise State, Iowa State did a better job than the other two games, but still allowed the Broncos to make a run in the second half. Iowa State had its largest lead at 15:23 left in the game with 24 points.

That lead decreased to just four points with 1:38 left in the game until Iowa State finished the game on a 6-0 run to win by 11 points.

All of these games became close after a dominating performance by the Cyclones throughout the entire game. If Iowa State wants to compete the rest of this season, it will need to become better at closing out games.