Cyclones Dominate in Exhibition Blowout

Unselfish ball movement and lethal three-point shooting were two of the main tenets that defined Iowa State basketball for the last five seasons. In his debut as head man of the Cyclones, Steve Prohm fielded a team that showed it's every bit capable of extending that style of play for at least another year.

Iowa State knocked down 16-32 three-point attempts and assisted on 28 of 37 field goals in the game as the Cyclones easily dispatched of Grand Valley State in Friday evening's exhibition, winning by a final score of 106-60.

Seven Cyclones scored in double figures, led by Naz Mitrou-Long, who notched a game-high 20 points, knocking down 6-7 from deep. Mitrou-Long spent the off season recovery from surgeries to both hips, but caught fire early in the second half, scoring 14 points in about a six minute stretch.

ISU led 52-21 at the break and completely blew the game open (or at least blew it open more than it already had been blown) in the second stanza before emptying the bench to close the night.

Monte Morris played an outstanding game, scoring 17 points while also dishing out 8 assists. Morris set the tone offensively, but also added 3 steals on the defensive end. Abdel Nader logged a game-high 29 minutes, turning in a solid all-around performance by scoring 13 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Jameel McKay notched a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds and Georges Niang nearly joined him, scoring 11 points and pulling down 9 rebounds. Niang also dished out 7 assists.

Prohm elected to only play seven guys in the first half, with Matt Thomas being the first Cyclone to come the bench and Hallice Cooke entering shortly after. Thomas was effective in all phases of the game, scoring 12 points while also handing out 8 assists and grabbing 5 rebounds in 25 minutes. Cooke got off to a slow start, but heated up toward the end the first half, finishing the game with 12 points on 4-5 shooting from outside.

Simeon Carter entered the game for the last ten minutes of action and showed flashes of potential by scoring 4 points and grabbing 3 rebounds, but might still be a bit too raw to log serious minutes. Brady Ernst played 6 minutes and physically, looked ready to compete. Ernst scored 2 points and pulled down 2 rebounds. Jordan Ashton saw 9 minutes of action and Stuart Nezlek made it onto the floor for the game's final two minutes.

Iowa State shot 60.7% from the floor and finished +14 on the glass. The Cyclones also came up with 11 steals while forcing 16 turnovers. There was room for improvement, however, as ISU turned it over 15 times and shot just 16-27 from the line.

The Cyclones open up the regular season on Friday, November 13th in Sioux Falls against Colorado. That game will tip off at 4 PM CST.