Ames, Iowa – Izaiah Brockington and Tyrese Hunter spearheaded a dominating second half performance to lead No. 23 Iowa State (16-5, 3-5 Big 12) to a 67-50 win over Missouri (8-12, 2-5 SEC) Saturday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum. The two long-time rivals reunited in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, competing for the 236th time in series history.
A slow start didn’t hinder the Cyclones, scorching the nets for a 58.3 percent clip in outscoring the Tigers, 35-21 after intermission. ISU was 5-of-8 from 3-point range in the second half and made 13-of-15 free-throws for the game.
Brockington scored 15 points and grabbed a team-high six boards, and Hunter netted 14 points, dished out four assists and had two steals. Aljaz Kunc came off the bench to score 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
ISU held Mizzou to 31.8 percent shooting after the break and forced 18 turnovers that resulted in 23 points.
Iowa State led at the half, 32-29 despite shooting 34.0 percent to Mizzou’s 55.0 percent. The Cyclones were able to grab the lead by forcing 13 first-half miscues.
The Tigers led 27-22 late in the first period, but Brockington scored eight points down the stretch to help the Cyclones go into the half with the advantage.
Iowa State started to take command early in the second half behind a 15-0 run. Hunter began the string with a runner followed by a trio of 3-pointers from Brockington, Caleb Grill and Kunc, and suddenly the Cyclones held a 49-34 lead with 11:07 remaining in the contest.
The Cyclone lead expanded to 18 points (55-37) with under eight minutes left on a Hunter floater, as ISU broke the game open on a 21-3 run. 67-50 Iowa State would be the final score.
