Jameel McKay was playing a different game than everyone else in the Cyclones’ men’s basketball home opener — one that took place almost exclusively above the rim. 

McKay racked up the dunks and No. 7 Iowa State (2-0. 0-0 Big 12) racked up the points, blowing past Chicago State (1-1, 0-0 WAC) by a score of 106-64.

McKay was on the receiving end of a parade of lobs, finishing with a career-high 25 points. The senior put up big numbers in an ultra-efficient manner, as he converted on 12 of his 15 field goal attempts.

“I mean, I was open,” McKay said. “ I just try every game to be the best player in the country.”

The reason for such an efficient performance — McKay threw down a jaw-dropping nine dunks in the winning effort.

“I just try to feed off my teammates,” McKay said. “They always get me the ball if I get open.”

The ISU offense was rolling as Chicago State attempted to keep up with Iowa State’s offensive pace. The Cougars even pushed the pace at times, applying full-court pressure against the Cyclones, which often led to McKay slamming the ball home on the other end.

“He changed shots around the rim, he finished around the basket and he was a presence all night,” said ISU coach Steve Prohm. “He played with great energy for the 27 minutes he was out there.

“He was terrific. That’s the best I’ve seen him play.”

After scoring 137 points in its first game, Chicago State tried to maintain an up-tempo offensive scheme, but scoring on Iowa State proved to be much more difficult than on Division III Illinois Tech — Chicago State’s opponent in its season opener.

While McKay stole the headlines with dunk after dunk after dunk, his front-court partner-in-crime came alive in the second half, as the ISU big men took over the spotlight.

Abdel Nader had a quiet seven points and six rebounds in the first half, before going on a 8-0 run all by himself to start the second. After watching his fellow big man take over in the beginning of the half, McKay got back in on the action with his seventh dunk of the evening.

It was more of the same from that point on. McKay ended the game with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Nader came up just shy of recording his own double-double, finishing with 17 points and nine boards.

While the two big men showcased their offensive prowess and athletic abilities, point guard Monté Morris routinely put them in position to score, racking up eight assists on the night in addition to his 14 points.

Fellow big man Georges Niang played the point-forward role to perfection as he dished out eight assists, taking a back seat in the scoring department with 11 points.

“It’s a lot less pressure on my shoulders,” Niang said. “The thing about Jameel is that he brings a ton of energy every game. He runs the floor better than any big man I’ve ever seen. We just feed off his energy.”

As the dunk fest came to a close, Prohm emptied his bench in his first regular season home game. All 11 Cyclones who were suited up got into the game to close out the win as the Cyclones moved to 2-0 on the season.