Maryland-Eastern Shore @ Iowa State preview

Maryland - E. Shore at Iowa State

Iowa State has won eight straight games and freshman Lindell Wigginton has been the spark plug. Four days after scoring 15 points in the second half to lead a comeback against Northern Iowa, the shooting guard will try to continue his torrid shooting when the Cyclones host Eastern-Maryland Shore on Wednesday in the final tune-up before Big 12 play commences with home games with Kansas State and Texas starting on Dec. 29.

The 6-2 Wigginton - considered perhaps the top freshman recruit this season from Canada - connected on 6-of-7 shots after halftime as Iowa State shot 58.3 percent from the field and outscored Northern Iowa by 14 in the second half to defeat the Panthers 76-65 on Saturday. In his last five games, Wigginton (16.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists) is averaging 21.8 points on 37-of-71 shooting, including 16-of-30 beyond the arc. “Once he made the one or two baskets, it was, ‘Hey, what do we have to do to get him the ball, get a crease because he can get to the front of the rim, so we just did a few things to get him the ball,'" coach Steve Prohm said afterward. "He’s made great strides. He didn’t turn it over tonight. He averages three a game. He is a very good offensive player, but he wants to compete defensively.” UMES, which is playing the fifth of six consecutive road games, was no match for No. 24 Creighton on Friday, dropping its fourth straight 87-36, yielding the first 13 points of the game and getting outscored 28-8 to close the first half.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, Cyclones.TV

ABOUT MARYLAND-EASTERN SHORE (3-9): The Hawks, who have been hit hard by injuries, have played four major-conference opponents and have lost all four by an average of 45.8 points. Three projected starters, senior guard Ryan Andino (13 points per game in 2016-17, MEAC-leading 115 3-pointers), 6-10 junior Isaac Taylor (5.2 points) and 6-5 junior Dontae Caldwell (8.3 points, 5.4 rebounds), have not played at all and are out for the season due to injuries. Miryne Thomas, one of four underclassmen starters, leads the team in scoring (10.4) and rebounding (5.9), but the Hawks are second-to-last in Division I in field-goal percentage (35.6).

ABOUT IOWA STATE (8-2): Sophomore Nick Weiler-Babb (13 points, 7.5 assists, 7.0 rebounds), who averaged 16.5 minutes per game last season and played off the ball, is the only player in the nation averaging 13 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. “Coming into this season, coach said I was going to have to be a leader, but this is kind of the extreme of what I even thought," Weiler-Babb said after the UNI victory. “It feels good to be in this position.” Senior guard Donovan Jackson rounds out the trio of guards who combine to average 46.2 points per contest, producing 16.6 points per game and shooting 40.7 beyond the arc on a team-leading 33 3-pointers made.

TIP-INS

1. Jackson has scored in double figures in seven of the last eight games, connecting on 31 three-pointers during ISU's winning streak.

2. Prior to coach Bobby Collins’ arrival at UMES, the Hawks had cracked ten wins in a season just once in 12 years. Collins has accomplished the feat in each of his first three seasons.

3. Iowa State is averaging 46.5 points per second half over the last eight games compared to 36.1 in the first half. The Cyclones have scored at least 40 second-half points in seven of the eight games during their winning streak, reaching 50 twice.

PREDICTION: Iowa State 92, UMES 50