In its final tune-up before Big 12 play beckons, Iowa State withstood a late lull to hold on for a 55-49 victory over Maryland-Eastern Shore on Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.

Redshirt freshman forward Cameron Lard led the way off the bench with 15 points as the Cyclones (9-2) earned their ninth win in a row.

Junior point guard Nick Weiler-Babb contributed seven points, 12 rebounds and six assists as Iowa State shrugged off a cold night from Lindell Wigginton. The standout freshman guard entered the night averaging 16.6 points, but he shot 2 of 10 from the field and finished with five points.

Maryland-Eastern Shore (3-10) dropped its fifth game in a row as the Hawks endured their fifth game against a Power Five conference school. Sophomore guard Ahmad Frost scored 19 points and senior guard Logan McIntosh added 17, but the Hawks shot 29.2 percent from the field and failed to reach the 50-point mark for the fourth consecutive game.

Iowa State revealed before the game that senior forward Hans Brase will miss time with a sprained ankle, which left the team with just seven healthy players.

Nonetheless, the Cyclones scored the game's first 10 points as they drilled their first four shots. Meanwhile, Iowa State forced the Hawks into 22 percent shooting during the first half. That included a 1-of-11 stretch to close things out as Iowa State used a 13-2 run to jump to a 34-17 halftime lead.

Maryland-Eastern Shore threatened to make it interesting a couple of times during the second half. McIntosh's jumper at the 14:58 mark cut Iowa State's margin to 40-28, but the Hawks proceeded to miss their next seven shots as the Cyclones built a 49-28 advantage on Lard's dunk with 9:35 to go.

Then it became Iowa State's turn to go cold as the Hawks reeled off 12 points in a row to pull within 49-40 with 6:31 left. Iowa State senior guard Donovan Jackson (12 points) stemmed the run with a 3-pointer, and Maryland-Eastern Shore never got closer than nine until McIntosh's 3-pointer with three seconds left.