It took McNeese State more than eight minutes to score a single point against Iowa State on Sunday.
The No. 20 Cyclones used an 18-0 run out of the halftime break to cruise past the Cowboys 67-35 and improve to 8-2 on the young, college basketball season.
“Absolutely,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said when asked if that was the kind of play he was looking for from his team in the second half. “The guys came out with great intent. We really demand that to start games and start halves. We bring terrific energy and that’s exactly what happens: we set the tone.”
Iowa State outscored McNeese 44-16 in the second half on its way to the win.
Jaz Kunc led the team in scoring putting up a career-high 21 points, as well as eight rebounds.
Jaren Holmes and Gabe Kalscheur found their ways to double figures, scoring 17 and 15 points respectively.
Tamin Lipsey had a team-high eight assists and added four points to the final tally. Eli King came in late in the game and finished with a career-high five points in relief.
Caleb Grill did not play in the game due to an illness. Otzelberger said he was experiencing a fever and flu-like symptoms, but did not know any more specifics minutes after Sunday’s game ended.
Iowa State will return to the court Sunday, December 18 to take on Western Michigan (Noon, ESPN+). Transfer forward Tre King is expected to make his debut in a Cyclone uniform.
