Hilton Magic Records Another Win Over Ranked Opponent

Saturday, February 14

Ames, Iowa

3:00 PM

Iowa State

18-6, 8-4Big 12

West Virginia

19-6, 7-5Big 12

Team	1	2	F
West Virginia	32	27	59
Iowa State	36	43	79

Hilton Magic Records Another Win Over Ranked Opponent

02.14.2015 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: cyclones.com

AMES, Iowa – No. 14 Iowa State (18-6, 8-4 Big 12) defeated No. 21 West Virginia (19-6, 7-5 Big 12), 79-59 Saturday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum to notch its fifth win over a ranked opponent on the season.

The game was won at the beginning of the second half, as the Cyclones broke open a close game with a 14-2 run after intermission. Monte' Morris was one of five Cyclones in double-figure scoring, leading the pack with 19 points. Abdel Nader came off the bench to score 16 points and Jameel McKay added 12 points and tied his career high with five blocks.

ISU has won 21-straight games in Hilton Coliseum, including seven-straight games vs. ranked opponents at home. The 20-point victory tied the school record for largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent.

How it happened…
After building a 17-10 lead with 10 minutes left in the first half, WVU went on a 13-2 run to move ahead 23-19 at the 6:08 mark. A Nader drive and a McKay lay-up tied the game at 23-23 moments later.

WVU was up 30-29, until the Cyclones scored seven-straight points, capped off by a 3-pointer from Matt Thomas. ISU went into the break with a 36-32 lead. Bryce Dejean-Jones and Nader each tallied six points from off the bench in the opening period.

ISU could have had a bigger lead at the half, but made just 8-of-14 shots from the free-throw line, including three-straight misses on front ends of one-and-one opportunities.

The start of the second half couldn't have been better for ISU.

The Mountaineers had just one basket in the first seven minutes of the second half, as the Cyclones forged ahead 50-34 with a 14-2 run after intermission. Morris hit a pair of 3-pointers and Georges Niang scored on a drive at the tail end of the run to give ISU a 16-point lead at the 13:15 mark.

The closest WVU got was nine points, as the Cyclones held off every Mountaineer comeback attempt.

ISU ended the game with a 55.3 percent clip from the field, its 14^th game this year shooting over 50 percent.

The #cyclONEgameball goes to…
Monte' Morris. Monte' Morris drilled a career-high four 3-pointers en route to 19 points to pace the Cyclones to victory. Morris ended the game 6-of-9 from the floor, including a 4-of-5 effort from 3-point range. Morris also chipped in with five assists and three steals.

Next Up
Iowa State travels to Oklahoma State on Wednesday Feb. 18. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. on ESPNU.

Game Notes
*ISU is 61-4 in Hilton Coliseum in the last four seasons.
*ISU's homecourt winning streak is now at 21 games, which ranks in the top-10 nationally.
*ISU is 17-0 when leading at the half.
*ISU 14-0 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field.
*Monte' Morris set a career high with four 3-point field goals.
*Morris tallied his 16^th game of the season and 29^th game of his career with double figures with 19 points.
*Morris had three steals, his seventh game this year with 3+ thefts.
*Morris has recorded a steal in 20-straight games.
*Jameel McKay tied his career high with five blocks, his seventh game with 3+ swats.
*The Cyclones have won seven-straight games over ranked opponents at home.
*ISU won its fifth game vs. a ranked opponent this season and its 14^th vs. a rated foe in the last two seasons.
*ISU is 5-1 vs. West Virginia since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 Conference.