Iowa State kicked off its Big 12 home opener against Texas Tech in style, as Jameel McKay and Abdel Nader threw down two straight dunks to open the Cyclones’ scoring. 

The rest of the game wouldn’t be as stylish or pretty, as Iowa State struggled offensively and Texas Tech hung around. But it was ultimately effective, as Iowa State (12-2, 1-1 Big 12) scored its first Big 12 win of the season against Texas Tech (11-2, 1-1 Big 12), 76-69.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Cyclones, who quickly found themselves in foul trouble. Georges Niang picked up his second foul just 2:17 into the game, sending him to the bench.

Niang would play less than four minutes in the first half, as he picked up a third foul later on. Foul trouble continued to be a huge factor in the first frame. Nader, Hallice Cooke, McKay and Deonte Burton all had two fouls at the break.

McKay and Matt Thomas kept Iowa State afloat, with McKay scoring 12 points and pulling down six rebounds in the half and Thomas hitting three 3-pointers on his way to 13 first-half points. Iowa State led, 40-30, at the break.

Iowa State led by as many as 18 in the first half, but that lead dwindled to just three points early in the second half.

The Cyclones scored just nine points in the first eight minutes of the second half, while shooting 3-of-16 from the field. Texas Tech, which was down 31-13 in the first half, trailed by a single point with 11:49 to go.

Matt Thomas canned his fifth 3-pointer of the game with 8:19 remaining, capping off a 7-0 run that pushed Iowa State’s lead up to nine. The Cyclones struggled to pull away as the pesky Red Raiders kept coming back.

Texas Tech cut the deficit to two again before Niang drilled a 3-pointer with 4:35 to go.

Up four with just over a minute to go, Thomas hit a step back 3-pointer followed by a fast break lob from Monte Morris to Nader that put the Cyclones up nine with under a minute to go and effectively sealing the win for Iowa State. 

Matt Thomas finished with a career-high 22 points to lead the Cyclones offensively. Jameel McKay registered a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds in the win.