Virginia Ends Iowa State's NCAA Run, 84-71

CHICAGO – No. 4-seed Iowa State (23-12, 10-8 Big 12) was unable to take down No. 1 seeded Virginia (29-7, 13-5 ACC), 71-84, in the Sweet 16 as the Cavaliers got off to a hot start and never looked back. Iowa State's Sweet 16 appearance was the fifth in school history and the second in the last three seasons.

Iowa State was led by two-time All-American Georges Niang, who led all scorers with 30 points and eight rebounds. Niang became the first player in NCAA Tournament history to record three-straight games with at least 25 points, five rebounds and three assists in the same tournament.

Niang concludes his illustrious career as a Cyclone with 2,228 career points, which ranks second all-time in school history. Niang, who will go down as one of the best to don a Cyclones jersey, finishes first in school history in games played (139) and games started (127), third in field goals made (849), fourth in 3-pointers made (188) and 10th in assists (421). Niang is also Iowa State's first two-time All-American.

Abdel Nader finishes his two-year Cyclone career with 638 points, 267 rebounds and 77 assists. Nader goes down as one of the most-improved Cyclones as he averaged just 5.8 points in his first season with the Cyclones to 13.2 points in his final season. Nader's performance earned him a spot in the starting lineup, and he is one of three Cyclones to start every game this season.

Jameel McKay caps his two-year Cyclone career with 630 points, 482 rebounds and 42 assists. McKay will go down as one of the best shot blockers in Cyclone history, as he has 114 blocks, which ranks sixth in school history.

How it Happened
Virginia came out of the gates hot, marching out to a 20-5 lead after a 3-point play by Virginia's Anthony Gill as the Cyclone offense sputtered. Propelled by their quick start, the Cavaliers maintained a double-digit lead for much of the first half and grew their lead to as much a 17 with 11:35 to play. The Cyclones began to claw back into the game near the end of the first half. Led by three late triples by Niang, Iowa State came back within 10 with 1:05 to play, 41-31. However back-to-back trips to the free throw line allowed the Cavaliers to stretch their lead back to a comfortable 14 to close the first half, 45-31.

The Cyclones shot a respectable 43.5 percent (10-23) from the field and an impressive 54.5 percent (6-of-11) from long range, but ISU was unable to keep up as Virginia shot a blistering 60.7 percent from the field with 15 assists off 17 buckets in the first. The Cavaliers also capitalized on eight Cyclone turnovers with 11 points of their own. Niang led all scorers entering the locker room with 15 points.

By the under-16 timeout, the Cyclones would gain some momentum with Matt Thomas and Niang combining for eight quick points to cut the UVA lead back down to 10, 49-39. Niang would cut the Virginia lead to nine after a trip to the free-throw line. A jumper by Monte Morris brought ISU within seven, 51-44. Foul trouble would catch up to the Cyclones as Niang went to the bench with four fouls and Nader with three.

Virginia kept the Cyclones at bay despite the brief momentum swing. Iowa State trailed the Cavaliers 68-58 by the under-4 timeout and was unable to overcome the top-seeded Cavaliers in the Sweet 16. Niang would finish the game as the leading scorer with 30 points off 11-of-20 shooting. He also hauled in eight rebounds to lead the Cyclones. Thomas (12) and Morris (10) were the only other Cyclones in double figures.

Head coach Steve Prohm concluded his first season as head coach with 23 wins, which tied Tim Floyd for the most wins in school history by a rookie head coach.

Cyclone Quick Hits
*ISU is 2-2 all-time against Virginia, and 5-17 against ACC teams.
*ISU is 5-4 all-time in Chicago, 0-2 at the United Center.
*ISU is 1-4 all-time in Sweet 16 games.
*ISU is 18-18 all-time in the NCAA tournament.
*ISU is 5-14 as the lower seed.
*Iowa State is now 10-6 while playing in the Midwest Region in NCAA tournament play.
*Matt Thomas hit a 3-pointer for the 25th-straight game, the third-longest streak in Iowa State program history.
*Thomas now has 14 triples in his career in the NCAA Tournament, which ranks third in school history.
*Thomas is now up the 89 3-pointers on the season, which is tied for the fourth-highest single-season total in ISU history.
*Thomas posted his 21st game of the season in double figures and 38th of his career.
*Niang moved past Dedric Willoughby for first in ISU history with 118 career points in the NCAA tournament.
*Niang became the first player in NCAA Tournament history to record three-consecutive games with at least 25 points, five rebounds and three assists in the same tournament.
*Morris is tied for second all-time in school history with 34 assists in the NCAA Tournament.

Team Stats

Georges Niang

Matt Thomas

Deonte Burton

Monte Morris

Players Mentioned

Georges Niang

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics