No. 4 Iowa State took control of its game against the University of Utah midway through the first half en route to a 75-59 win over the Runnin’ Utes at the Huntsman Center on Tuesday night.
With the loss, Utah now sits at 10-1 overall and 2-13 in Big 12 play on the year.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Iowa State’s defense forces Utah into a season-high for turnovers
Iowa State’s trapping defense created plenty of issues for Utah, forcing the Utes into 11 first-half turnovers. The Cyclones turned those into 14 points off turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
Iowa State ended up forcing Utah into a season-high 18 turnovers in the game, and the Cyclones turned those into 20 points.
Iowa State did a good job swarming the Utes offensively and making them either turn the ball over or go late into the shot clock before getting a look up.
Eight of those 11 first-half turnovers for Utah came in the final 12 minutes of the half, beginning right around the time the Cyclones went on a 12-0 run to break the game open.
What Utes stood out?
Utah’s guards led the scoring for the team — Terrence Brown, McHenry and Obomate Abbey accounted for Utah’s first 21 points of the game and 24 of their 31 first-half points.
Brown ended up with a team-high 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting, while adding four rebounds and three assists.
He also had a season-high seven turnovers.
McHenry, meanwhile, added 14 points and Keanu Dawes had 10. Both of those players tied for the team lead with two 3-pointers.
Dawes had another double-double, as he finished with 12 rebounds.
The Utes wore down in the second half, shooting 38.1% in the final 20 minutes and finishing 45.7% for the game.
ISU’s balanced attack on display
Every single Iowa State player who logged minutes in the first half scored, with no one in double-digits, even though the Cyclones had 41 first-half points.
A few guys of the usuals ended up leading the Cyclones offensively, as Joshua Jefferson finished with 21 points, including 13 in the second half.
Four Iowa State players ended up in double-figures, as the Cyclones shot 47.5% for the game.
They also had sizable edges in points in the paint (38-26) and bench points (26-8).