Iowa State seniors shine in last game at Hilton

Iowa State's Georges Niang was nervous for when the clocks would finally hit zero. So nervous that he didn't even drive himself to Hilton Coliseum.

'I didn't want to drive,' Niang said. 'You know what they say in driver's ed. Don't drive when you're emotional. So I got a ride over here.'

Monday night, in its simplest form, was about No. 20 Iowa State getting its 58-50 win against Oklahoma State and moving one step closer to the postseason. But as Niang stood on the court after the game — with a microphone in hand — he expressed all of his emotions to the packed arena about what his four years in Ames have meant.

'I was afraid coming to the game today because…I don't want to leave this place,' a teary-eyed Niang said. 'But as I got off the court and saw all 14,000 of you guys, I realized I'm not leaving. I've got a home forever in Ames and I thank you.'

Niang is the Cyclones' (21-9, 10-7) leader in wins (96), is the third 2,000-point scorer in school history and in a couple weeks will be the first ISU player to participate in four NCAA tournaments. His stat lines have always spoken for themselves — Niang had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in his home finale — but it's his charisma and relationship with the people at Iowa State that will leave its mark.

The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward shared his final home game with Abdel Nader and Jameel McKay, who have each spent the last two years alongside him after transferring from other programs. And as Nader and McKay have gotten to know the fan base, they've also learned what a unique relationship Niang shares with the people in the crowd.

'It's like nothing I've ever heard of,' McKay, who had six points and 10 rebounds, said. 'It's like he's one of them. He gets love everywhere he goes, but he deserved it. He worked to get the love. He didn't come here as a heralded recruit, but he worked his way to an All-American. As a fan, you have no choice but to respect it because as teammates we all respect it.'

'He's one of the guys, his senior class, that put Iowa State basketball back on the map,' Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said of Niang. 'Fred (Hoiberg), under his leadership, but Georges and guys like Naz (Mitrou-Long) and the rest of those guys.'

It was the seniors that carried the early part of Senior Night against the Cowboys (12-18, 3-14) with Niang and Nader combining to score the first 18 points for Iowa State and taking a two-point lead into the break. After halftime, the Cyclones found their offense.

Iowa State used an 11-0 run to pull ahead 38-25 in the second half, but it was an and-one dunk Nader had that brought the crowd to its feet. He crossed into the lane and leaped toward Mitchell Solomon for the one-handed slam and finished with 19 points and five rebounds.

Sure, the dunk was athletic and probably should be a SportsCenter top-10 play, but was Nader worried the officials would call it off and signal a charge?

'Nah,' Nader said with a smile. 'If they did, I didn't care either.'