Cyclones struggle in victory

AMES - Iowa State star forward Royce White threw up.

His coach, Fred Hoiberg, slammed his hands on a table.

White battled flu-like symptoms. Hoiberg was overtly frustrated by the Cyclones' chronic inability to aggressively finish off inferior foes - which happened again Saturday in a shockingly close, 67-65, win over one-win Mississippi Valley State seen by 12,399 fans at Hilton Coliseum.

“We're tentative,” said Hoiberg, whose team led 41-23 early in the second half but was outscored 42-26 the rest of the way. “Our shoulders are tight. Body position isn't there. It's, again, something that you've got to find a way. You've got to find a way to play through tough times.”

White tried. ISU's leader in scoring, rebounds and assists started, but played only three minutes.

“He was throwing up in the hallway,” Hoiberg said. “It was not a good sight before the game when he was like that. He said he wanted to go out and give it a shot. I commend him for that.”

The Cyclones (10-3) still appeared poised to cruise past the road-weary Delta Devils (1-11), using a 29-6 spurt to forge a 31-14 first-half lead.

“From there, it was definitely kind of a letdown,” said guard Scott Christopherson, who scored 11 points on 4-of-14 field goal shooting.

Not for Mississippi Valley State, which had the ball, down three points, with 1:11 to go before turning it over.

ISU then drained five of its last six free throw tries to preserve the win - after making just 10 of 20 from the line previously.

“They were crucial,” said Cyclone forward Melvin Ejim, who notched his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 15 rebounds. “I missed two right before them.”

Ejim came off the bench and provided a long-burning spark.

“(He) was the player of the game for us,” Hoiberg said.

Reserve forward Anthony Booker added 10 points - his first double-digit scoring effort since the season opener.

“Five offensive rebounds,” Hoiberg said of Booker. “I think he did a commendable job with Royce sick.”

The ISU bench scored 41 points. Starters totaled 26 points.

“The bench definitely kept us in it,” Hoiberg said.

And that could lead to a shake-up in personnel.

“I'm looking for five guys to go out there,” Hoiberg said. “Which five are they? Right now I don't know. We'll throw it up for grabs for playing time - who's going to go out there and play - in practice this week getting ready for our (Jan. 4 Big 12) opener (against Texas). And we'll throw (in) the guys that are going to go out there and fight.”