The Sports Xchange
Dec 16, 2017
Iowa State placed five players in double figures and pulled away in the second half to beat Northern Iowa 76-65 on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Cyclones (8-2) won their eighth consecutive game since season-opening losses to Missouri and Milwaukee.
Freshman Lindell Wigginton tallied 20 points while Nick Weiler-Babb added 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Donovan Jackson, Jeff Beverly and reserve forward Cameron Lard each scored 10 points.
Iowa State took control of the game by tallying 12 straight points after the Panthers (8-3) used a Wyatt Lohaus 3-pointer to earn their last lead of the day at 50-47 with 10:16 remaining.
Two free throws each by Weiler-Babb and Wigginton gave the Cyclones a one-point edge. Wigginton followed with a layup and a 3-pointer, and Weiler-Babb capped the spurt with a 3-point play for a 59-50 advantage at the 7:55 mark.
The margin hit 10 on Weiler-Babb's 3-pointer with 4:45 left, and Northern Iowa never threatened the rest of the way, missing on a chance for another signature nonconference win after reaching the finals of the Battle 4 Atlantis over Thanksgiving weekend.
Lohaus paced four Panthers in double figures with 16 points while Klint Karlson netted 13 despite making only 5 of 16 shots. Spencer Haldeman came off the bench to hit for 12 points and Juwan McCloud added 10.
Northern Iowa converted only 23 of 64 field goal tries, while Iowa State hit 25 of 58. The Cyclones also sank 19 of 24 free throws and outrebounded the Panthers 42-35.