AMES, Iowa – Iowa State held Grambling State without a field goal for nearly nine minutes in the first half, en route to an 82-47 victory Sunday night at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2016-17, while the Tigers dropped to 0-4 on the year.
Five Cyclones scored in double figures, led by a career-high 21 points off the bench from Aljaž Kunc. With five 3-pointers, Kunc tied a school record for made 3-pointers without a miss. Tristan Enaruna had a career-high 15 points, while Tyrese Hunter and Tre Jackson each had 12. Caleb Grill added 10 points.
George Conditt IV tied a career-high with 10 rebounds, while Enaruna had a career-high nine boards. Kunc added a season-high seven rebounds. Hunter had six assists, while Grill had a season-high four. Hunter tied a season-high with four steals, with Jackson tying a career-high with three.
Grambling State led 15-12 with 12:16 to play in the first half before Kunc went on a run of his own. Kunc scored the next 13 points in the game, giving Iowa State the lead for good. Kunc’s 13-straight points turned into a 25-5 run for the Cyclones over an 8:24 span, as Iowa State took a 49-25 lead at the half. The Cyclones shot 51.4 percent in the opening half, including 9-of-14 (64.3%) from 3-point range. Kunc’s final basket came with 9:31 to play, as his 3-pointer sparked an 11-0 Cyclone run. Iowa State’s final basket came with 4:11 to play, as the lead hit 39.
Iowa State has now held three-straight opponents to 60 points or less for the first time since 2018. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger became the sixth Iowa State head coach to start their career 4-0. Iowa State had a 30-10 advantage in the paint and got 50 points from the bench.
Next Up:
Iowa State heads to Brooklyn for the NIT Season Tip-Off Nov. 24 and 26 at the Barclays Center. Iowa State will face Xavier in the opening game at 6 p.m. on Nov. 24
