Hoiberg not impressed

AMES - Iowa State broke a school record for 3-pointers in a game Tuesday night against Northern Colorado.

Cyclone Coach Fred Hoiberg didn't want to hear about.

“I couldn't care less about the 3-point shooting,” said Hoiberg, whose team allowed the Bears to go on an 11-0 run early in the second half, then hang around in ISU's 90-82 win before 11,155 fans at Hilton Coliseum. “We let them get into such a rhythm in that second half. They come out and they make eight of their first 10 shots. A lot of times, it doesn't matter what you do defensively now because of the rhythm that they're in.”

Northern Colorado (0-4) hit 57 percent from the field in the second half and repeatedly made it a two-possession game into the final minute.

The Cyclones (3-1) made the record 16 long-range baskets but saw a solid first half of defense go south in the final 20 minutes.

The previous mark from beyond the arc was 15, set Nov. 16, 2008 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

“There were a lot of plays during the game where I felt that if we would have talked more, just gritted our teeth and stayed down a little bit longer - took that extra step or bumped our man a little bit harder on the cut, we probably could have stopped them from scoring,” said ISU guard Chris Allen, who led all scorers with 23 points, including four 3-pointers.

So the offense is fine. The defense needs work.

“You're up by 13 at halftime, you come out and you have a chance, with the ball, to get a bucket and then come down and string together a series of stops,” said Hoiberg, whose team plays Providence in Friday's 7:30 p.m. South Padre Island Invitational game in Texas. “We didn't do that. We just didn't have that mindset and that's what it takes.”

ISU built it's largest lead, at 52-36, on two Melvin Ejim free throws with 16 seconds left in the first half.

The Bears - who lost this week at Northern Iowa - hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds before halftime, then maintained that offensive momentum to pull within four, at 57-53, with 15:49 remaining in the game.

“I think it was more of us just not buckling down and getting stops,” said Cyclone forward Royce White, who notched 10 points, eight rebounds and a game-high seven assists. “We're emphasizing that every day, of being together as a team on the defensive end and getting stops, and stringing together stops. They were hitting some tough shots, also. But that's not our concern. We've just got to buckle down and get better.”

Six ISU players scored in double figures.

Guard Chris Babb drained his first three 3-point tries to extend his streak of consecutive baskets made from long range to eight. Scott Christopherson and Tyrus McGee also converted three 3-pointers for the Cyclones.

“If we don't make shots at an unbelievable clip (Tuesday), we get beat,” Hoiberg said. “We're sitting in here very disappointed in ourselves for not finding a way to bury a team that you have to take out.”