CycloneReport.com - Cyclones roll in exhibition opener

November 2, 2009

ISU Athletics
Special to CycloneReport.com

Iowa State shot 58.0 percent from the field, including an 11-of-16 effort from 3-point range, in a 96-47 win over Black Hills State in exhibition action Monday night at Hilton Coliseum. Craig Brackins, a preseason All-Big 12 First-Team pick, scored all 14 of his points in the first half and Marquis Gilstrap, the Big 12's Preseason Newcomer of the Year, chipped in 14 points in his first action as a Cyclone.

"This was a good first game for us," ISU head coach Greg McDermott said. "Black Hills State, as I told the team, wasn't going to quit. They won 30 games last year. Saturday night they beat the returning NAIA Division I champion. It was a team that was going to play with confidence. I thought our pressure over time wore into them."

That is probably a credit to our guys playing hard in practice. We have competition at virtually every position. They worked really hard and pushed each other and that really paid off tonight."

Brackins helped ISU get off to a hot start by scoring eight of the Cyclones' first 10 points, as ISU was up 10-4 with just under four minutes off the clock. Brackins was 3-for-3 from the field, including two treys, during the stretch.

The Cyclones forged ahead 35-17 with 8:41 left before intermission behind a 10-0 run. Gilstrap scored down low and Brackins and Dominique Buckley each buried a trey to provide ISU with the 18-point cushion.

A conventional 3-point play by Brackins and a last-second bomb by Scott Christopherson in the closing seconds of the first period propelled the Cyclones to a 50-25 lead at the break. ISU shot 58.1 percent from the floor and made 8-of-10 shots from downtown in the opening period.

The Cyclones increased their lead to 65-32 with 15:16 left in the game. Gilstrap tallied seven points and Diante Garrett had six points to help ISU take the commanding lead. At this point, ISU cleared the bench and let its reserves take over for the rest of the game.

"As I told the team in the locker room, we probably played better offensively than we had been playing in practice," McDermott added. "That is probably a credit to our guys playing hard in practice. We have competition at virtually every position.They worked really hard and pushed each other and that really paid off tonight."

Justin Hamilton led ISU on the glass with seven boards, helping the home team win the battle of the boards by a 43-26 margin. Hamilton also added 11 points in the winning cause. Junior college transfer LaRon Dendy came off the bench to score 16 points.

Black Hills State was led by Luke Enos' 14 points.

The Cyclones close out their exhibition schedule on Friday with a 7 p.m. tip vs. UNC-Pembroke in Hilton Coliseum.

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