Iowa State (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) remained unbeaten with an 86-55 victory over Idaho State (1-2, 0-0 Big Sky) Sunday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum.
Iowa State's margin of victory in its first three contests is +42 and this game was no different, as ISU dominated the paint with a 46-12 points advantage and was the aggressor on defense, forcing 24 turnovers. ISU has forced 16+ turnovers in each of its first three contests.
Tre King was among four Cyclones in double-figure scoring with a Cyclone-high 16 points, including 14 in the first half. He also had three steals, as the Cyclones recorded over 10+ thefts (17) for the second-straight game.
True freshman Milan Momcilovic posted his third-straight double-figure scoring outing in his young career with 11 points and Curtis Jones came off the bench to tally 14 points. Keshon Gilbert matched King with 16 points
Tamin Lipsey was his usual stat-stuffer, scoring six points, dishing out a game-high five dimes and grabbing four steals, one shy from his career best.
How It Happened
After giving up an opening Bengal 3-pointer, the Cyclones rattled off 17-straight points to take command. King scored the first six Cyclone points and Robert Jones was able to score a pair of baskets, as ISU began its superiority in the paint.
Miguel Tomley kept the Bengals within distance with a couple of triples, his second at the 9:56 mark to cut the Cyclone lead to 23-13. The Cyclones bounced back with a 15-8 run to increase their lead to 38-21. King had two more baskets in the run and the Cyclones went into intermission with a 44-25 advantage.
King had 14 first-half points and the Cyclones forced 15 Bengal turnovers in the opening period.
The Bengals continued to hang around at the beginning of the second half, trimming the lead to 53-37 with 12:23 remaining in the game. But ISU scored nine-straight points to put the game out of reach. Jones hit a trey and Gilbert scored on a lay-in during the run.
Top Performers
Keshon Gilbert had his best game as a Cyclone. The UNLV transfer tallied 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting despite playing just 23 minutes. Gilbert picked up his third foul late in the first half and had to sit out the final minutes. Gilbert's intensity on both ends helped the Cyclones break open the game in the second half. He finished with a team-high six boards and had two assists.
Up Next
Iowa State has week off before playing host to Grambling State on Sunday (Nov. 19). Tipoff is at Noon CT.