Cyclones Use Second-Half Run To Beat Illini, 84-73

NICEVILLE, Fla. – No. 4 Iowa State used an 18-4 run midway through the second half to break open a close game and defeat Illinois, 84-73, to win the Emerald Coast Classic and improve to 5-0 this season.

Georges Niang and Monté Morris led the way for the Cyclones with 23 and 20 points, respectively.

How it Happened
With the Illini holding a 58-57 lead with just over 11:30 minutes remaining, ISU went on an 18-4 run to gain control of the game and eventually increased their lead to 17 points with 1:20 remaining en route to winning the tournament title.

Iowa State opened up a 40-33 lead with 1:56 left in the first half but the Illini closed on a 6-0 run to finish the half, giving ISU its smallest halftime lead of the season at one point (40-39). The Illini shot 48.5 percent from the field in the opening half, but ISU hit 6-of-13 threes to maintain the lead. Niang had 10 points and Malcolm Hill led the Illini with 14 points.

Cyclones of Note
Niang led the Cyclones in scoring with 23 points, while also grabbing eight rebounds as ISU held a 40-30 edge on the glass. Morris, the tournament's most valuable player, had nine rebounds and six assists to go along with his 20 points.

Abdel finished with 18 points, including 12 in the second half. Matt Thomas came in off the bench and helped the Cyclone offense with 10 points, including two of ISU's six threes.

Cyclone Quick Hits
*Iowa State has outshot all five opponents from the field (49.3-46.0 percent tonight).
*The Cyclones are 3-0 in neutral site games.
*ISU shot a season-high 85.7 percent (12-14) from the free-throw line.
*Steve Prohm is the fourth ISU coach to start his tenure 5-0.

All-Tournament Team
Monté Morris, Iowa State – Most Outstanding Player
Jameel McKay, Iowa State
Kendrick Nunn, Illinois
Malcolm Hill, Illinois
Erik Durham, Jacksonville State
Jamel Water, Alabama State
Elliott Cole, Chicago State
Casey Jones, UT-Chattanooga
Zach Leday, Virginia Tech
Chris Cokley, UAB

Up Next
Iowa State returns to Hilton Coliseum to face North Dakota State (4-1) Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The game will be televised on Cyclones.tv.

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Team Stats

Georges Niang

Monte Morris

Abdel Nader

Matt Thomas

Players Mentioned

Georges Niang

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