Cyclones thump Drake 90-70

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The shot clock was winding down and Iowa State's Lucca Staiger was 25 feet from the basket with a defender in his face.

Staiger put the ball on the floor, stepped back and chucked a high-arching fadeaway at the rim.

Like nearly everything else Staiger threw up against Drake on Tuesday night, it dropped straight through the net.

Staiger scored a career-high 32 points, including a school-record 10 3-pointers, and Iowa State defeated Drake 90-70 Tuesday night to snap a three-game losing streak to the Bulldogs.

"It's a great feeling. That's what's fun about basketball," Staiger said.

Forward Craig Brackins added 22 points and 10 rebounds for the visiting Cyclones (3-0). Iowa State jumped out to a 19-point halftime lead and cruised the rest of the way, erasing some bad memories of their last trip to Des Moines.

The Cyclones suffered their worst loss ever at Drake, 79-44, in 2007. This time, Iowa State dominated its in-state rivals from the opening tip - thanks to the outside shooting of Staiger, the inside presence of Brackins and solid contributions from guards Scott Christopherson and Diante Garrett.

But this one belonged to Staiger.

The long-range shooter from Germany was inconsistent at times last season, but he was nearly unstoppable against the Bulldogs. That fadeaway 25-footer broke the team record of nine 3-pointers set by Dedric Willoughby against Kansas in 1997.

Staiger finished 10-of-16 from 3-point range.

"They had a lot of weapons working tonight. Staiger was pretty amazing," Drake coach Mark Phelps said.

Drake looked like it might make things interesting early in the second half, as Adam Templeton's 3 brought the Bulldogs within 54-41. The Cyclones answered by going to Brackins, who poured in four quick buckets - including a mid-range jumper and a 3-point play through the lane - to give Iowa State a 71-46 lead with 11:15 left.

The Bulldogs crept back within 75-62, but Staiger answered with a pair of 3s to put the Cyclones ahead 81-64 with just over five minutes left.

Freshman Ben Simons had 24 points for Drake (0-2) and Ryan Wedel added 13. Bulldogs star Josh Young, who missed the opener with a hip injury, scored 11 points.

Iowa State outrebounded the Bulldogs 39-21, shot 56.3 percent from 3-point range and dished out 23 assists.

The Cyclones took control with a 31-14 run late in the first half, spreading the ball around to jump ahead by as much as 51-29.

Brackins converted a 3-point play to push the Cyclones lead to 11, and Jamie Vanderbeken's layup put Iowa State ahead 42-24 with 4:22 left in the first half. Garrett followed with a floater, and Christopherson hit a 3 to put the Cyclones ahead by 22 with 45 seconds left in the first half.

Staiger opened the game with four 3-pointers in the first six minutes, and he caught the Bulldogs napping on the last one. Staiger threw a high inbounds pass to Garrett at the top of the key, cut across the paint while the Bulldogs were eyeing the ball and hit an uncontested 3.

Staiger said that play was a prime example of the chemistry he and Garrett, Iowa State's point guard, have developed in their second season playing together.

"That's a play we could not have completed last year. That's what makes it so much fun this year," Staiger said. "We know each other better now."

Christopherson had 15 points and Garrett, who seems to be settling into his role as a distributor, had 11 assists.

"I've got guys on the team that can shoot better than I can, so why not give it to them?" Garrett said.

Drake is now two seasons removed from winning the Missouri Valley Conference title, and the Bulldogs are in a major rebuilding mode with 10 newcomers on its roster.

"Their physicality and athleticism is much improved from last year," Phelps said. "That proved to be the difference certainly in a game where the most physical team would come out on top. It's not surprising they were able to come in here and get a win."