Niang sparks vital road win for ISU

STILLWATER, Okla. — Iowa State found an elusive road win Wednesday, and it may have found an emerging star.

Junior forward Jameel McKay, making just his fourth start, matched his career high with 17 points, set a new best with 14 rebounds and added four blocked shots and two steals to fuel the 14th-ranked Cyclones' 70-65 win over 22nd-ranked Oklahoma State at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

'He was impressive,' Cowboys Coach Travis Ford said of McKay. 'Very impressive. A one-man wrecking crew.

'They had a guy in there who just had a tremendous effort. He was jumping twice a lot of times before we were jumping once. He just out-toughed us in the paint.'

The Cyclones needed all they could get from McKay, with their leading scorer, forward Georges Niang, scuffling most of the night, although he came through with two key baskets during a 9-0 Iowa State run to end the game.

Niang was scoreless in the first half and finished with nine points.

The Cowboys led 65-61 nearing the two-minute mark, when Niang scored on a put-back of his own miss. Forward Dustin Hogue's 3-pointer on the next trip gave the Cyclones a 66-65 lead, and after a Cowboys turnover, Niang hit running shot in the lane to extend the lead to 68-65.

Oklahoma State forward Jeff Newberry missed a try at a tying 3-pointer with 10 seconds left, and McKay sealed the win with two free throws.

Iowa State shot just 39.3 percent from the floor but dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Cowboys 44-28. McKay was a huge part of that, corralling nine of the Cyclones' 18 offensive boards that led to 21 second-chance points.

'I thought we played with great poise in those last couple minutes,' Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said. 'We went down four, had a good play, made a good basket and then had a stop. Monte (Morris) came down and found Dustin in the corner, and he obviously stepped up and hit a good shot.

'I think the keys in winning on the road are when you get 18 offensive rebounds and your opponent only has four. That gives you a fighting chance, especially on nights where we didn't shoot our best.'

The Cyclones (19-6, 9-4 Big 12) ended a four-game road losing streak in conference play. Iowa State is 7-0 at home in Big 12 play, but it was 1-4 away from Hilton Coliseum before Wednesday.

'They never doubted each other,' Hoiberg said. 'A lot of things were said about us. We lost to Baylor by one, and that's a tough place to play. We lost at Oklahoma and at Kansas, two of the better teams not only in our league but also in the country. We also lost a tough one at Texas Tech. So it's good. You get the monkey off your back a little bit.'

The 9-4 league start is the Cyclones' best since 2000-01, when Iowa State won the Big 12 championship.

Oklahoma State (17-9, 7-7) lost its second straight. Forward Le'Bryan Nash and guard Phil Forte led the Cowboys with 13 points each, while guards Anthony Hickey Jr. and Newberry each added 12.

With Nash and Forte slow to start, Newberry gave the Cowboys a lift. A defensive stopper who averages 6.4 points a game, the junior scored 10 first-half points on 4-of-4 shooting from the floor, sinking two 3-pointers.

Newberry had a good look at another 3-pointer with his team down 68-65 in the closing seconds, but the shot just missed.

'It felt good when I let it go,' Newberry said. 'it was just short.'

Hickey provided more offense, scoring 10 first-half points on 4-of-5 shooting and contributing two threes — part of Oklahoma State's six makes from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes.

Forte, who finally heated up, added two treys and eight points before the break.

Iowa State led much of the first half and was up 20-14 and 25-18. Hogue was hot early and had a team-high nine points at halftime. McKay added eight first-half points.

The Cowboys remain home to face No. 23 West Virginia on Saturday. Iowa State heads to Texas for a Saturday game.

NOTES: The teams make a habit of playing tense, tight games, with seven of the previous eight meetings either decided by three or fewer points or in overtime. The Cyclones own a five-game series winning streak, including a triple-overtime game in Stillwater and an overtime affair in Ames last year, and a two-point verdict in Ames earlier this season. ... Iowa State's run of success under Fred Hoiberg has the Cyclones in the AP Top 25 for the 33rd consecutive week — a program record. ... Oklahoma State F Le'Bryan Nash was selected a semifinalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award on Wednesday. Nash is among 15 players on the list and one of two from the Big 12, along with Texas' Jonathan Holmes.