King is ‘like a kid on Christmas’ in debut for Iowa State

AMES — Tre King’s first two points as an Iowa State Cyclone came in the form of a rousing dunk.

The 6-foot-7 senior transfer from Eastern Kentucky waited more than a calendar year to debut for ISU — and he made an immediate above-the-rim impact in the Cyclones’ 73-57 win Sunday over Western Michigan at Hilton Coliseum.

“I felt like a kid on Christmas, counting down the days,” said King, who scored 11 points in 5-for-6 shooting in 16 minutes and 22 seconds. “For the day to finally be here is amazing.”

King joined four teammates in scoring in double figures for the Cyclones (9-2), who took an early 27-8 lead on his initial dunk and maintained a double-digit lead throughout against the outmanned Broncos (3-8).

Caleb Grill led ISU with 14 points and six rebounds. The senior guard who missed last Sunday’s blowout win over McNeese State because of illness, started the game with a hard-fought rebound and traditional 3-point play and went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.

“Just being able to lead our defense into offense from the start is what I think helped me,” said Grill, who is 8 of 13 from 3-point range in his last three home games. “Getting an easy one and then getting one at the free throw line helps with confidence and just gives you that feeling (of seeing) the ball fall in the rim a couple times. I think that just kind of leads to more success throughout the game.”

It wasn’t entirely rosy for the Cyclones, however, who saw starting forward Osun Osunniyi injure his ankle midway through the first half. The 6-10 senior did not return and will undergo an MRI, so it’s unclear how long it will be before he can return to the lineup.

“Certainly we’re gonna make sure his health and safety is number one, so we didn’t want to push it today without knowing and knowing that information, but we’ll get it looked at and do what’s in his best interest, and move forward from there,” ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger said.

The Cyclones shot a season-best 63.3 percent from the field and outscored Western Michigan 44-8 in points in the paint. Gabe Kalscheur chipped in 11 points for ISU and fellow guards Tamin Lipsey and Jaren Holmes added 10 points apiece. The Cyclones dished out 24 assists on 31 field goals, led by Lipsey and big man Robert Jones, who each contributed five.

“(Those) assists really speaks to our group sharing the ball, playing for one another, making the right play,” Otzelberger said. “It’s something we talked about coming into this and I felt like our guys did a great job.”

So did King, who is valuable on both ends of the floor — and after his long wait, tied for the team lead with two steals.

“Liked his energy out there,” Otzelberger said. “Felt like his defensive communication was good and really pleased. He’s worked really hard to get this opportunity and it’s been a while, but you’re happy with the first performance from him. It’s something we can keep building on.”

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