AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State's thin roster survived its opening home stand with three straight wins.
Next up for the Cyclones, down four regulars because of injuries and suspensions, is a trip to Hawaii that should really test their mettle.
Marial Shayok scored a career-high 26 points, freshman Talen Horton-Tucker had 26 as well and Iowa State held off Texas Southern 85-73 on Monday night.
Nick Weiler-Babb posted 13 points with 13 rebounds for the Cyclones (3-0), who have Maui Invitational games next week against Arizona, either third-ranked Gonzaga or Illinois and then an opponent yet to be determined.
"We made a lot of plays for each. We played a good offensive game as far as finding each other," Shayok said. "We've just got to do a better job of staying locked in."
Part of that was because the Tigers (1-2), who won four of the last five SWAC titles and beat Baylor on the road in their opener, didn't go away as easily as many of its conference companions typically do against Power Five opponents.
Texas Southern got as close as 38-33 late in the first half before back-to-back 3s by Horton-Tucker helped Iowa State make it 48-35 at halftime.
Horton-Tucker hit another jumper that gave Iowa State a 59-41 lead. But the Cyclones went into an extended shooting funk — 0 for 11 marked by poor ball movement — and the Tigers sneaked back within 62-53.
Iowa State eventually found its way and pulled away, finishing 48 percent from the field. But beyond Horton-Tucker, the other three freshmen in Iowa State's rotation combined for just four points.
"We've got some youth out there. At times it showed," Prohm said.
Jeremy Combs had 16 points to lead the Tigers.
THE BIG PICTURE
Iowa State: Shayok transferred from Virginia to play in a more free-flowing offense. Through three games, it looks like he made the right call. Shayok has been a focal point of Iowa State's much improved attack, scoring at least 14 points in every contest. Shayok is averaging a team-high 20 points a game.
Texas Southern: The Tigers are two-thirds of the way through perhaps the most grueling three-game stretch any team in America might face in 2018-19. They lost at Gonzaga 104-67 on Saturday, travelled 1,500 miles to play Iowa State and will now go from Ames to San Diego to play the Aztecs.
HORTON-TUCKER
The most hyped recruit in Iowa State's latest class, Horton-Tucker had by far his best game in a Cyclones uniform. Horton-Tucker kept the Tigers at bay by hitting five 3s in the first half, and he finished 8 of 14 from the floor. Horton-Tucker also had five rebounds. "He's a good player," Prohm said. "He's young. He's going to have good games and he's going to have bad games. He's going to be up and down at times."
WIGGINTON
Sophomore guard Lindell Wigginton, Iowa State's top returning scorer, spoke with reporters before the game on Monday for the first time since straining his left foot — an injury that forced him into a hard cast. Wigginton said he hurt the foot late in Iowa State's 79-53 win over Alabama State last week. "I really just landed wrong on my foot, and then I just felt a pop," Wigginton said. "I tried to play through it, but I really couldn't." Wigginton said his foot had been bothering him but that he thought it was just sore. He'll soon have his cast replaced by a boot, and Wigginton hopes to return sometime in December. But he's not going to rush it, especially given his pro prospects. "He wants me to come back when I'm fully healed, 100 percent," Wigginton said of Prohm.
THE NUMBERS
Michael Jacobson had 16 points and eight rebounds for Iowa State. ... Texas Southern's 7-foot-2 center, Trayvon Reed, had 15 points and 11 rebounds. ... The Cyclones had 16 turnovers. ... The Tigers were just 7 of 28 on 3s.
