DENVER — The Cyclones liked their chances if the basketball game between Iowa State and Iona turned into a track meet. 

Iowa State (22-11) avoided another early exit from the NCAA tournament by sprinting past Iona in the first round 94-81 in Denver.

It looked like Iowa State was about to cruise to an easy win, but Iona’s high-powered offense kept the Gaels in the game as Iowa State couldn’t string together enough defensive stops to blow the game home.

Iowa State led by seven with under two minutes to go when Iona’s A.J. English picked up a technical foul. With just over a minute to go, Monté Morris scored on a fast-break where he was intentionally fouled, essentially putting the game out of reach.

Five Cyclones reached double-figure scoring, led by Georges Niang’s 28 points. Iona was led by A.J. English and Jordan Washington, who scored 28 and 26 points, respectively. 

Monté Morris looked fine after struggling with a should injury recently. The junior point guard scored 20 points and dished out eight assists in the win.

Iowa State will play the winner of the Purdue and Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday.