Cyclones Brush Off Kansas State

DALLAS (AP) - Jake Sullivan had 21 points and Iowa State beat Kansas State 78-64 Thursday in the first round of the Big 12 tournament, giving the senior guard his wish for a shot at the top seed.

Sullivan and freshman Curtis Stinson, who finished with 24 points on 11-of-13 shooting, both scored seven in an early 19-3 run that pushed the Cyclones (17-11) to a double-digit lead they held throughout most of the game.

Kansas State (14-14) didn't finish with a losing record for the first time in five seasons, even though the Wildcats couldn't carry over the momentum of a 58-48 win over No. 11 Texas in the regular season finale that gave them consecutive Big 12 wins for the first time in two years.

The Cyclones play No. 7 Oklahoma State (24-3), the regular season champion, in the quarterfinal round Friday.

Sullivan was a freshman when Iowa State won 25 games in 2000-01 before being upset in the first round of the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. He hopes to reverse that by beating the top-seeded Cowboys.

Iowa State got plenty of second chances (10 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points before halftime), and had few problems with Kansas State.

Jackson Vroman's slam dunk started the decisive run, and Sullivan then hit three free throws after being fouled on a missed 3-pointer to put Iowa State up 7-5. The Cyclones never trailed after that, and led by as many as 20 points.

Sullivan's two free throws after Kansas State coach Jim Wooldridge was called for a technical foul at the 11:44 mark made it 19-8. A turnover led to Stinson's basket that ended the run.

Kansas State cut the gap under 10 just three times after that - for just more than a minute combined and all before halftime.

Tim Ellis led Kansas State with 21 points, and Jarret Hart had 15. Jeremiah Massey, who had averaged 19.2 points the last six games, finished with just three and made his only shot before fouling out.

The Cyclones even scored five points off a missed free throw.

After Vroman missed the front end of a 1-and-1, Jared Homan grabbed the rebound and made a putback. He was fouled by Justin Williams, who was then called for a technical foul. Will Blalock made two free throws before Homan completed his three-point play for a 28-13 lead.

Homan finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Blalock had 10 points.

Iowa State stretched its 42-29 halftime lead by scoring the first six points after the break, Sullivan and Stinson scoring after turnovers.

Kansas State didn't have to worry about another heartbreaking exit from the Big 12 tourney. Last year, the Wildcats were on the verge of becoming the first No. 11 seed winner until Colorado banked a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

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Team Stats

Curtis Stinson

Jake Sullivan

Jared Homan

Will Blalock

Players Mentioned

Will Blalock

Will Blalock

Jared Homan

Jared Homan

Jared Homan

Curtis Stinson

Curtis Stinson

Jake Sullivan

Jake Sullivan

Jackson Vroman

Jackson Vroman

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