Cyclones Roll To 77-51 Win Over North Dakota

AMES, Iowa? Iowa State jumped out to a 40-point lead early in the second half and cruised to a 77-51 win over North Dakota in its final non-conference game Saturday night in Hilton Coliseum. ISU, winners of seven of its last eight games, enters Big 12 Conference play with a 10-5 mark.

"I felt like we executed well at the start of the game and the second half," ISU head coach Greg McDermott said. "We did a pretty good job against an offense we have not seen before. I am also pleased with the way we played and the way we defended them."

ISU benefited from another fast start, taking a 27-11 lead with 11:31 remaining in the opening period. The Cyclones made 10-of-their-first-16 shots from the floor to begin the game behind a 4-of-4 effort from Wesley Johnson. Johnson scored 13 of ISU's first 27 points.

UND cut the lead to 11 points (29-18) at the 7:30 mark, but that was as close it would get. The Cyclones then rattled off 14 consecutive points to take a commanding 43-18 lead with 2:45 left in the first half. Rahshon Clark had a pair of baskets and Jiri Hubalek tallied five points in the Cyclone run.

ISU finished the first half with a 48-22 advantage, the most points scored in a half for the Cyclones this season. ISU shot 50 percent from the floor and had 11 assists and no turnovers in the opening period.

ISU's lead grew to 33 points (55-22) in the early part of the second half, as Craig Brackins scored five of ISU's first seven points of the second period. ISU's first turnover of the game came at the 17:05 mark of the second half, going almost 23 minutes without a miscue.

Alex Thompson put ISU up by 40 points (62-22) after a 3-pointer with 13:57 remaining in the game, as the Cyclones scored the first 14 points of the second half. Many of ISU's reserves entered the game soon after.

Wesley Johnson led ISU with 15 points and dished out a career-high five assists. Rahshon Clark added nine points and a team-high seven boards in the win. Clark moved into ISU's career top-20 in rebounding, ranking 20th with 559 career boards. ISU held UND, which ended its 10-game winning streak, to 32.6 percent shooting from the floor.

ISU begins the Big 12 season next Saturday (Jan. 12) at Baylor. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. on ESPN Classic.

Notes
- ISU scored 48 points in the first half, the most points scored in a half by the Cyclones this season.
- ISU has scored 68 points or more in its last seven games.
- ISU is now 9-0 when outshooting its opponent.
- ISU tied a season high with eight 3-pointers.
- ISU did not commit a turnover in the first half...ISU's first turnover of the game occurred at the 17:05 mark of the second half, going almost 23 minutes without a miscue.
- Rahshon Clark grabbed seven boards...he now moves past Clint Harris and into 20th place on ISU's career rebounding list (559).
- Wesley Johnson tallied 13 points in the first half, the third time this season where Johnson had 13 or more points in a half this season.
- Johnson is 12-for-26 from 3-point range in the last four games.
- Johnson recorded a career-high five assists.
- ISU had more assists (19) than turnovers (7) for the 10th time in its last 12 games.
- ISU has recorded 18 or more assists in five of its last seven games.

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Team Stats

Wesley Johnson

Jiri Hubalek

Diante Garrett

Rahshon Clark

Players Mentioned

Craig Brackins

Craig Brackins

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Alex Thompson

Alex Thompson

Alex Thompson

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics