Sweep Complete: Iowa State Downs Kansas State in Manhattan

Iowa State defeated Kansas State 87-79 on Wednesday night to improve to 16-9 on the year and 8-5 in Big 12 play. Freshman post player Solomon Young had a career high 18 points for the Cyclones and added 12 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double.

ISU was red-hot in the first half, pouncing out to a 42-26 halftime lead after making 60.7% of their shots from the field. Earlier this season the Cyclones held a similar lead against the Wildcats at home, though, and allowed K-State to erase that deficit completely in the second half. A comeback was certainly a possibility in a hostile road environment.

Kansas State was able to whittle the lead down to as little as six points in the second half tonight, but weren’t able to stop a mostly-efficient Cyclone offense. Iowa State ended the game shooting 51.8% overall while going 7-15 from beyond the arc. ISU also connected on 22-26 free throws, many of which came in the waning moments as K-State attempted to extend the game.

Iowa State’s other four starters joined Young with double-digit scoring efforts. Deonte Burton (17), Naz Mitrou-Long (16), Monte Morris (15), Matt Thomas (14) and Donovan Jackson (7) rounded out the scoring.

The next game for the Cyclones is in Hilton Coliseum on Saturday against TCU. The game will be televised on ESPNews with the ball tipping at 5 p.m. CST.