March 29, 2024

Cyclones down Campbell, 88-68

always been best suited in a role as a spark off the bench, and he buoyed the Cyclones in the first half with 13 points.

McGee, who also had five rebounds, two steals and two blocks, hit a jumper, a 3 and a dunk in succession as the Cyclones jumped in front 33-20.

Babb chipped in with a 3 early in the second half that gave Iowa State its biggest lead to that point, 42-28.

Babb then drove hard to the rim after Campbell cut the lead to 10, converting a three-point play to put the Cyclones back on top 61-48.

“I just wanted to really bring a lot of energy,” said Babb, who also had five rebounds and five assists without a turnover. “Something coach (Hoiberg) and I talked about was just being more consistent and bringing a lot more to the table. I’m not really just counting on my 3-point shot as much.”

Point guard Korie Lucious had another poor shooting night, with just a pair of buckets on nine tries. But Lucious directed Iowa State’s balanced offense with nine of its 22 assists, and he turned it over just once.

“I was really happy with Korie’s game,” Hoiberg said. “I loved his decision making.”

The Cyclones didn’t roll quite as well as they did in destroying overmatched Alabama A&M 98-40 a week ago. But the Fighting Camels figure to be among the better low majors in the country — and last season, they pounded Iowa in Iowa City 77-61.

“I think it shows we have a lot of talent,” Babb said. “We can score, obviously. We can get out in transition. I think we can be a pretty good defensive team at times. We showed that. We’ve just got to clean it up a little bit.”