Iowa State is 11-0 for the first time. Trailing by 7 at the halftime break The Cyclones took control in the second half to beat Boise State 70-66 in the championship of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. Senior guard DeAndre Kane led the Cyclones with 23 points in being named the tournament MVP.
“Boise State came out with a lot of energy, I think we came out a little sluggish in the first half, but we talked about it in the second half and we came out with a little more energy,” Kane says.
Kane says the Cyclones got the tough battle they expected as he says they returned five starters from a tournament team. The Cyclones trailed by as many as 11 points in the opening half before staging another rally. ISU coach Fred Hoiberg says the Boise State defense cause them problems in the opening half. “They forced us to take some long jump shots that weren’t falling in the first half, but I thought our energy was sustained on the defensive side even though we weren’t making shots and that kept us in it,” Hoiberg says.
For the third straight game in the tournament the Cyclones won the battle on the glass with 14 offensive rebounds. Georges Niang added 16 points for the Cyclones while Melvin Ejim had 15 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
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