Revenge is a dish best served cold.

In February of 2014, West Virginia bullied its way to a 25-point rout of Iowa State. 11 months later to the day, the Cyclones returned to Morgantown, W.V. with hopes of avenging the worst loss of one of their best seasons in recent memory.

Iowa State (12-2, 2-0 Big 12) found redemption in the form of a 74-72 victory against West Virginia (14-2, 2-1 Big 12) on Jan. 10.

While the scoreboard saw drastic changes from the previous year’s contest, the game style was similar. Iowa State navigated its way through a minefield of physicality and full-court pressure that lasted the full 40 minutes, and limited numerous ISU starters in foul trouble.

“We never really got into an offensive set or flow tonight, so we were really trying to get them out of their press,” said junior Georges Niang, who followed up two dreadful offensive performances in the two previous outings with 16 points on 50 percent shooting. “That did not happen, so whenever we could get layups, we were taking them where we could.”

High percentage opportunities abounded for the Cyclones against the relentless pressure employed by the Mountaineers, but so did turnovers. Iowa State frequently earned quality offensive looks, shooting 50 percent as a result, but handed 18 extra possessions to West Virginia via turnovers when failing to manage the chaos.

Part of the turnover problem was exacerbated by ISU foul trouble, which plagued the Cyclones beginning late in the first half. All five ISU starters were whistled for three fouls by the 13-minute mark in the second period.

Niang picked up his fourth foul with roughly 11 minutes remaining. He was followed promptly by senior Dustin Hogue, who incurred his fourth with just under 10 minutes to play.

On a night when ISU fouls outnumbered field goals by a margin of 27 to 25, perhaps the most significant whistle was blown against sophomore point guard Monté Morris, as he was hit with number four at the 8:25 mark.

Iowa State struggled mightily to protect the ball in Morris’ absence, as the Cyclones’ lack of a true back-up point guard was highlighted as a glaring weakness for the first time all season.

“It would have been very difficult for us to win had we lost both [Morris and Niang],” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg. “I felt I had to have one of them in there, at least one of them.”

Junior Naz Long, sophomore Matt Thomas and senior Bryce Dejean-Jones all played roles handling the ball in the absence of Morris and Niang, but taken out of their usual game, the three guards combined for nine of the 18 ISU turnovers and tallied only 13 points among them.

When Iowa State found itself in desperate need of offensive production, it was redshirt junior Abdel Nader who answered the call in much the same way as he did in the Cyclones’ last true road game at Iowa.

Nader poured in 19 crucial points to lead Iowa State, including seven of the team’s final 13 and two clutch free throws with 13 ticks left on the clock, which bolstered the Cyclones to a 73-70 lead.

Redshirt junior Jameel McKay also made his presence felt in a game that was tight throughout, sporting a line of six points, seven rebounds and five blocks, despite suffering from a back injury that Hoiberg said has limited the ISU defensive anchor in practice.

“I am just so proud of our guys, especially Abdel Nader,” Naing said. “It just goes to show you have so many guys who can come in and make a play.”

Every made shot and every stop was key for Iowa State, as the WVU press allowed the Mountaineers 18 more field goal attempts than the Cyclones. Despite the lopsided attempt numbers, Iowa State netted three more buckets than West Virginia. The difference in efficiency proved a deciding factor.

Iowa State next takes the floor Jan. 14 at Baylor. Tip off is set for 8 p.m.