The Lowdown

After a first half marred by turnovers, the Iowa State Cyclones were able to continue their shooting success, pulling away from the Horned Frogs 83-66 at Hilton Coliseum.

Iowa State (16-4, 6-2 Big 12) was able to sit its starters for the first time in conference play as TCU (14-7, 1-7 Big 12) gave the Cyclones their first double-digit win in the Big 12.

Montè Morris led the charge in the first half with 12 points and three rebounds and finished with 16 points and six assists.

Bryce Dejean-Jones finished with 16 points and Dustin Hogue chipped in 12 points to round out the double-digit scorers for the Cyclones. Naz Long took just two shots all game, hitting one of two 3-pointers.

The Cyclones struggled to pull away in the first half despite leading most statistical categories besides turnovers.

The team then dominated the paint, scoring 55.4 percent of its points in the lane and only shooting 11 3-pointers all game. The Cyclones also out-rebounded the Horned Frogs 44-30.

The Turning Point

The lead never felt comfortable for the Cyclones, who couldn’t pull away from TCU for good. With less than three minutes to go and the lead at 15 points, Abdel Nader hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock wound down to solidify a lead TCU wasn’t able to overcome.

The X-Factor

Georges Niang — After a six-point first half with only a two-point halftime lead, Georges Niang took matters into his own hands, finishing with 23 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

The Cyclones finished with only 14 assists on 31 made shots, lower than their season average, but mainly due to Niang creating opportunities for himself. He dominated the paint and nearly single-handedly changed the outcome of the game after a stagnant first half.

By The Numbers

4 — ISU players in double-digits

14 — Rebounding margin in Iowa State’s favor

46 — Points in the paint by the Cyclones

56.4 — Percent shooting, the best percentage in conference play for the Cyclones

80 — Percent from the free throw line (16-for-20), the Cyclones’ best percentage in conference play