AMES (AP) — Jameel McKay struggled on offense in Iowa State’s opener. He responded by dunking his way to the best scoring night of his career.
McKay set a new personal mark with 25 points — the majority coming on dunks — and had 11 rebounds as No. 7 Iowa State rolled past Chicago State 106-64 Monday night in coach Steve Prohm’s home debut.
Abdel Nader had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Cyclones (2-0), who won their 18th consecutive opener at Hilton Coliseum.
McKay, a preseason all-Big 12 pick, was 12-of-15 from the floor after scoring just eight points in Friday’s six-point win over Colorado.
“I just try every game to be the best player in the country at playing off my teammates, because I know they’ll get me if I get open,” McKay said. “They did a great job getting me the ball.”
Iowa State let Chicago State (1-1) hang around in the first half. But the Cyclones opened the second with a 13-0 run to go ahead 62-35.
Elliott Cole had points 18 for Chicago State. The Cougars were outrebounded 53-32.
Chicago State was expected to be little more than an early-season tuneup for the Cyclones. But the Cougars made Iowa State work early on.
Iowa State’s supposedly improved defense wasn’t evident at points in the first half, though Chicago State was also aided by a number of offensive rebounds that bounced right into its hands.
But the Cougars had no answer for McKay, who scored 12 of the Cyclones’ first 19 points. McKay’s latest alley-oop dunk and a subsequent 3 from Matt Thomas gave the Cyclones a 49-35 halftime lead.
“The thing about Jameel is that he brings a ton of energy,” Iowa State star Georges Niang said. “He runs the floor better than any big man I’ve ever seen, and really we just feed off his energy. He’s the key guy for us.”
Nader helped stretch Iowa State’s lead with four baskets in the first 4 minutes of the second half, and the Cyclones were able to cruise the rest of the way.
Nader was one rebound shy of his third career double-double. He is averaging 15.5 points through two games.
“The first half wasn’t perfect. Too many turnovers led to some easy baskets and some long rebounds that we’ve got to get,” Prohm said. “I though in the last 24 minutes we really dominated the game and established our will.”
Tip-Ins
Chicago State: The Cougars brought back just 35 percent of their scoring from last season, when they went 8-24.
Iowa State: Oregon State transfer Hallice Cooke’s first basket for Iowa State came on a layup midway through the first half.
Stat Lines
Monte Morris had 14 points and eight assists for Iowa State, and Niang scored 11 points with eight assists. Matt Thomas had a career-high 11 rebounds off the bench. ... The Cyclones outscored Chicago State 57-29 in the second half.
Up Next
Chicago State hosts Indiana Northwest on Wednesday.
Iowa State hosts Chattanooga next Monday.