Iowa State basketball proving early success isn't fluke with first win over Iowa since 2017

AMES – The game was veering toward being over when Tyrese Hunter took the wheel and got it there in a hurry. 

The Iowa State freshman found himself alone in the open court with the Hilton Coliseum crowd on their feet and ready to ignite. Hunter lit the fuse as he rattled the rim and put the exclamation point on a Cyclone blowout before the second half had even reached its midpoint. 

The 19th-ranked Cyclones stopped a three-game slide to their instate rivals and continued to deliver in what is now one of the country’s biggest surprises as they improved to 9-0 with a 73-53 victory over Iowa. 

Iowa State remains perfect on the season and owns five wins against high-major opponents just a year removed from a 2-22 season that resulted in a coaching change and a roster overhaul that saw seven newcomers enter the program. 

The Cyclones’ start to the season has been nothing short of remarkable, and as the wins continue to pile up, it looks less and less like a fluke and more and more like a team that will find itself in NCAA tournament contention in three months. 

One of those newcomers, Izaiah Brockington, unleashed an iconic Cy-Hawk performance scoring 29 points on 11 of 14 shooting.

Iowa State absolutely dominated play, going up 23 on the Hawkeyes (7-3) on Hunter’s breakaway dunk just after the 14-minute mark of the second half. 

The Hawkeyes have now lost three straight after a 7-0 start to the season. Star Keegan Murray struggled mightily with the potential first-round NBA draft pick shooting 4 of 17 to finish with nine points. Brockington, not content to make his presence felt just offensively, blanketed him defensively for much of the night. 

Iowa shot just 27 percent from the floor for the game. Jordan Bohannon had 17 points for Iowa, but was 4 of 12 from the floor.

Iowa State controlled play throughout the first half, holding Murray scoreless on 0 of 7 shooting. Brockington, meanwhile, was a perfect 7 of 7 from the floor for 17 points before halftime while also spending major minutes guarding Murray. 

The Hawkeyes shot 28.6% from the floor and 25% from 3 in the first half as the Cyclone defense got them out of rhythm and kept them discombobulated. Iowa missed 11 of its 13 shots over the final 10 minutes of the half as Iowa State turned a one-point deficit into a 12-point halftime advantage.  

It would only grow from there. 

Iowa now has a nine-day layoff before heading to Sioux Falls, S.D. to face Utah State while the Cyclones host Jackson State on Sunday. 

Iowa State will have a chance now to match the record set by the 2013-14 team for best start to the season. That team went 14-0 before going on to win the Big 12 tournament and return Iowa State to the Sweet 16 for the first time in over a decade. The Cyclones host three low-major opponents before starting Big 12 play against defending national champion Baylor on Jan. 1. 

Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or  (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.