Fresh off its first loss of the season, an upset at the hands of Northern Iowa, No. 11 Iowa State came out blazing against No. 22 Cincinnati.  

Iowa State has had a few slow starts this season, including the loss against UNI, and was notorious for starting slow last season. They got off to a hot start against Cincinnati.

Iowa State wouldn’t run away with the game as Cincinnati made a comeback like Iowa State so often has, but the Cyclones were able to hold off the Bearcats, winning 81-79 and bouncing back with a win following its first loss of the season. 

The Cyclones went on a 7-0 run to start the game and led 14-2 in the early going. Iowa State was up by as many as 13 points in the half and would go into halftime holding a 45-38 lead.

Georges Niang and Monte Morris powered the Cyclones in the first half. Niang scored 14 points and pulled down five rebounds and Morris scored 11 points while dishing out three assists and grabbing three steals.

Deonte Burton, who played in his second game as a Cyclone after just recently becoming eligible due to transfer rules, scored eight points off the bench in the first half.

Iowa State controlled the first half, but Cincinnati wasn’t done yet. The Bearcats clawed their way back into the game and cut Iowa State’s lead to two points with 7:10 left.

Cincinnati cut the deficit to one with 5:20 left in the game, trailing just 71-70. Two possessions later, Cincinnati took its first lead of the game with 4:23 left after grabbing an offensive rebound and hitting a jumper at the top of the key.

Georges Niang hit a huge 3-pointer with just over a minute remaining to tie the game up at 78. Iowa State got a stop on the defensive end, but Matt Thomas missed a corner three.

The Cyclones committed a foul on the rebound and Cincinnati hit 1-of-2 free throws to lead by one with 28.5 seconds remaining. Abdel Nader drilled a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left to put the Cyclones up by 2. 

Cincinnati had three shots on its final possession, but none that found the bottom of the net. Iowa State survived to win 81-79 and bounce back following its first loss of the season. 

Niang finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, and also dished out the game-winning assist to Nader. Iowa State will next be in action against Coppin State on Dec. 30 in Ames.