White's triple-double lifts Iowa State 74-50

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Iowa State forward Royce White fought the flu all week, but hid his sickness well against Texas A&M on Saturday. Thanks to White's triple-double, the Cyclones whipped the Aggies 74-50.

White tallied 18 rebounds, 10 points and 10 assists. He notched the first triple-double by a Big 12 player versus a conference foe in six years (Iowa State's Curtis Stinson against Colorado on Feb. 5, 2006).

"I'm proud of my teammates," said White, a sophomore transfer from Minnesota. "Getting 10 assists isn't easy, and it doesn't happen without your teammates knocking down big shots, and having a coaching staff that has a lot of faith in you."

The Cyclones (12-3, 2-0 Big 12), coming off a home victory over Texas, leaped to a 42-23 halftime lead and the Aggies (9-5, 0-2) never threatened in the second half of the blowout. Iowa State shot 46.7 percent from the field (28 of 60), and held the Aggies to 31.3 percent (21 of 67), their second-worst showing of the season.

"We can't just keep relying on our jump shots," Texas A&M guard Elston Turner said of the Aggies' shooting woes. "And we need to get to the free-throw line more."

Melvin Ejim led a balanced Iowa State scoring effort with 15 points, while Scott Christopherson followed with 13. Ray Turner paced Texas A&M, losers of four of its last five, with 13 points. Five Cyclones scored in double figures.

"He (White) was very impressive, and you could see it in his eyes when he came out of the gate," Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg said. "He was swallowing rebounds, he was going up there so high. I was really proud of the way the whole team came out and set the tempo in our favor."

"We needed to make a statement right here at the start of the Big 12," White said of Iowa State's aggressive approach. "To let other teams know we're serious, and you're going to be in a dogfight when you play us."

The Cyclones won at Texas A&M for the first time in 11 years, and defeated the Aggies for the first time in seven years overall. Iowa State has won seven straight games under Hoiberg, in his second year as coach.

Texas A&M suffered its worst home loss since 2000 (a 78-51 setback to Texas), when Melvin Watkins coached the Aggies.

"He (White) is unselfish, and he can pass the ball," Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. "He's a difference-maker, and you've got to have guys like that on your team to win big."

Iowa State also dominated Texas A&M down low, in outscoring the Aggies 32-20.

IOWA ST. (12-3)

Babb 4-8 0-0 11, Allen 4-13 0-0 10, Christopherson 5-10 2-3 13, Gibson 3-5 0-0 6, White 4-10 2-4 10, Railey 0-0 1-2 1, Ejim 5-8 5-7 15, Sledge 0-1 0-0 0, McBeth 0-0 0-0 0, Booker 1-1 0-0 3, McGee 2-4 0-0 5. Totals 28-60 10-16 74.

TEXAS A&M (9-5)

Harris 4-13 0-0 10, Loubeau 1-4 0-0 2, Middleton 3-12 0-0 6, E. Turner 5-14 0-0 11, Davis 0-3 0-0 0, Hibbert 0-2 0-0 0, Green 1-5 0-0 2, Alexander 1-1 0-0 2, Kinsley 1-2 1-2 4, R. Turner 5-11 3-3 13. Totals 21-67 4-5 50.

Halftime_Iowa St. 42-23. 3-Point Goals_Iowa St. 8-23 (Babb 3-6, Allen 2-9, Booker 1-1, Christopherson 1-3, McGee 1-3, Ejim 0-1), Texas A&M 4-22 (Harris 2-8, Kinsley 1-2, E. Turner 1-5, Hibbert 0-1, Green 0-3, Middleton 0-3). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Iowa St. 42 (White 18), Texas A&M 40 (R. Turner 12). Assists_Iowa St. 16 (White 10), Texas A&M 7 (Middleton 3). Total Fouls_Iowa St. 10, Texas A&M 14. A_6,450.