Ames, Iowa—-Iowa State wanted to come out and make a statement and they did just that. Iowa State (8-2, 0-0 Big 12) beat Prairie View A&M (4-4, 0-0 SWAC) 107-56 victory Sunday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum.
Iowa State trailed the Panthers early in the game before taking the lead for good at the 12-minute mark of the first half, and a subsequent 33-13 run that pushed the lead to 20 before halftime.
The Cyclones backcourt (Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey) played lights out basketball. Lipsey scored 19 points and broke the ISU record for steals in a game with eight of them. The previous record was seven shared by Fred Hoiberg (1991 vs. American) and Justus Thigpen (1993 vs. Kansas).
Gilbert chipped in 20 points, his second-straight 20-point game, and dished out a career-high eight assists and snatched eight rebounds. Curtis Jones came off the bench to lead all players in scoring with 22, hitting a career-high six threes.
“I was pleased in the second half with the effort and intent we had defensively,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “It was choppy. We didn’t do the best at the start adapting to that, but I was really pleased with the effort in the second half.”
The Cyclones blew up their lead to 20 points (50-30) with under two minutes remaining in the first frame, ISU went into the locker-room with a 52-35 lead. Jones was on fire draining all four of his attempts from downtown. He closed out the first half with 14 points.
The first-half game flow was hampered by fouls and turnovers, as both teams accounted for 28 turnovers (15- PVAM; 13- ISU) and 26 fouls (14- PVAM; 12-ISU).
Prairie View A&M shot 33.3 percent from the floor and committed 29 turnovers.
Iowa State outscored the Panthers 26-6 to begin the second half to put the game out of reach.
It got lopsided quickly as the Cyclones flexed their muscles in the the second half.
Potentially further complicating matters is starter Tre King is battling some back problems, though that didn’t stop him from recording seven points and grabbing four boards in 11 minutes Sunday.
“His back was bothering him in warmups, and as a leader he wanted to give it a go,” Otzelberger said. “Now fortunate to have some time to get him some rest and some recovery.
“When guys show they want to get out there even when they’re not at their best, it sets the tone for others to make sure we’re all doing that sort of thing.”
