No. 17 Cyclones Fall to No. 14 Mountaineers, 97-87

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia – No. 17 Iowa State struggled to contain No. 13 West Virginia's offense as the Mountaineers picked up a 97-87 win Monday night at WVU Coliseum. The win improved the home team to 21-7 overall and 10-5 in Big 12 play. The Cyclones fall to 19-9 on the season and are 8-7 in league competition.

In defeat, the Cyclones were led by Abdel Nader, who had his third-straight game with at least 20 points with 23 points, which featured his third-straight game with at least five 3-pointers. Georges Niang and Matt Thomas each had 14, while Deonte Burton and Monté Morris had 13 apiece.

How it Happened
Abdel Nader was coming off an outstanding week in which he averaged 26 points per game. That fine form continued early as he got eight points, which included a pair of 3-pointers, to help boost the Cyclones to a 14-8 advantage. The edge was short-lived, as the homme Mountaineers rolled off a 12-0 run to move ahead 20-14. The WVU lead was also short-lived, as ISU worked its way back from deep as back-to-back 3-pointers by Matt Thomas and Monté Morris got the Cyclones ahead 24-22.

A first half that featured four ties and six lead changes eventually tilted in favor of WVU, with the Mountaineers forcing nine Iowa State turnovers in the first 20 minutes. West Virginia also asserted its dominance on the offensive glass, grabbing 13 offensive boards compared to 11 defensive boards for the Cyclones. ISU shot 57.7 percent in the first half, but WVU got 16 more shot attempts up, allowing itself to build a lead of as large as 11 points.

Down 49-41 to start the second half, Iowa State took advantage of a more relaxed pace to help establish its offense again. The Cyclones got 10 of the first 12 points of the second half, with Thomas capping off the early dominance with a 3-pointer to get ISU ahead 53-51. The game's pace did not reach what was experienced in the first half, which helped the foul-troubled Cyclones out in the long run. Deonte Burton continued to cause problems for the Mountaineers, who struggled to answer how to shut down his athleticism and versatility.

Where WVU was able to find help was behind the arc, as Tarik Phillip came off the bench to hit six 3-pointers, his fifth getting the home side back ahead 70-69. Iowa State ensured WVU did not get out of its sights, but were not able to make the next step and get it tied again, or back ahead. Led by a 34-point game by Jaysean Paige, the Mountaineers had a run of five-straight made baskets to build its lead up to six points at 84-78. The Cyclones began to press their luck from deep, but were unable to reel in the Mountaineers.

Cyclone of Note: Abdel Nader. The Iowa State senior's versatility is not limited to getting to the rim, as Nader showed off his skills from behind the arc, taking advantage of space in the corners to become a threat from deep. Nader led ISU in the losing effort with 23 points, his third-straight game over 20-points and his seventh game this season with at least 20. He also had seven rebounds.

Cyclone Quick Hits
*Jameel McKay posted 10 points, his 13th game of the season in double figures and 29th of his career.
*Abdel Nader recorded 23 points, his third-straight game over 20 points, seventh of the season and 13th of his career.
*Nader hit five 3-pointers, his third-straight game with at least five treys and fourth of his career.
*Monté Morris chalked up 13 points, his 24th game of the season in double figures and 61st of his career.
*Morris finished with four assists, giving him 2xx on the year. He becomes the fourth Cyclone to have at least 200 dimes in a season (Tinsley, 1999-00; Hornacek 1985-86; Kane 2013-14).
*Matt Thomas put through 14 points, his 16th game of the season in double figures and 33rd of his career.
*Thomas nailed at least three 3-pointers for the eighth time in his last 11 games.
*Thomas is up to 69 3-pointers on the season, which ranks 12th in Iowa State history.
*Deonte Burton had his fifth-straight game in double figures and 11th of the season, posting 13 points.
*Georges Niang finished with 14 points, his 37th-straight points and 108th of his career.
*Niang moved up in the ISU record books to No. 3 in career field goals (779).
*Niang now has 1,097 career points in Big 12 conference history, passing Texas Tech's Jarrius Jackson for fourth in conference history.

Up Next
ISU is back in Hilton Coliseum Saturday evening against Kansas State. Tip between the Cyclones and Wildcats will be at 5 p.m. with ESPN2 providing television coverage.

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Team Stats

Abdel Nader

Matt Thomas

Georges Niang

Monte Morris

Players Mentioned

Deonte Burton

Georges Niang

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Iowa State University Athletics