Jeran Holmes scored 19 points and Caleb Grill added 11 to lead four players in double figures as Iowa State earned a 68-53 victory against Milwaukee on Sunday night in Ames, Iowa.
Aljaz Kunc and Robert Jones scored 10 points apiece for Iowa State (3-0), which forced 27 Milwaukee turnovers
B.J Freeman paced the Panthers (2-2) with 11 points. Markeith Browning II scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds, and Justin Thomas led the team with eight boards.
The Cyclones led by as many as 24 points while overcoming 6-for-28 shooting from 3-point range. Iowa State finished 38.8 percent from the floor overall, led by a 7-for-17 effort from Holmes.
The Panthers capitalized on an Iowa State scoring drought of 5:04 late in the second half, using an 11-0 run to trim the deficit to 11 with 4:07 to play. A Holmes jumper off a turnover ended the slide as the Cyclones closed things out.
The Cyclones outrebounded the Panthers 38-35, but Milwaukee had a 27-21 edge on the defensive glass. Demarion Watson was Iowa State’s leading rebounder with eight boards. Holmes had a game-high five assists.
Iowa State rolled to a 37-26 halftime lead behind a standout effort from Holmes, who had 15 points at the break on 6-for-10 shooting.
The Cyclones scored the game’s first eight points in 1:26, capitalizing on four quick Panthers turnovers. Osun Osunniyi had the final four points of the run and punctuated the surge with a dunk on the fastbreak.
Panthers coach Bart Lundy called a 30-second timeout in a bid to get players to regroup. Milwaukee split a pair of free throws about a minute later but didn’t register its first field goal until Freeman drilled a 3-pointer at the 16:41 mark. The Panthers trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half while shooting 36.4 percent.
Iowa State’s Gabe Kalscheur played six minutes in the first half but did not return to the game.
–Field Level Media