No. 12 Iowa State 99, Northern Illinois 63: Melvin Ejim scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half and DeAndre Kane finished with 16 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds as the host Cyclones finished their non-conference slate with a perfect mark.

On the day it learned of the passing of former coach Johnny Orr, Iowa State (12-0) gave a nice tribute to its all-time leader in victories by shooting a season-high 58.7 percent from the floor and improving upon the best start in school history. Naz Long scored 17 points off the bench and Georges Niang recorded 14.

Dontel Highsmith led the Huskies (5-6) with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. His teammates combined to go 15-for-55 from the floor as Northern Illinois had its two-game winning streak snapped.

Ejim had six points in the first three-plus minutes and added a dunk seven minutes in to give Iowa State an early 21-7 advantage. He threw down another slam in the closing moments of the half to make it 54-31, part of a first-half performance that saw the Cyclones shoot 61.8 percent from the floor.

Northern Illinois got within 19 points in the early moments of the second half before an 8-0 surge - capped by a Kane jumper - put Iowa State ahead 68-41 with less than 15 minutes remaining. The Cyclones, who had 28 assists against just five turnovers, finished with their largest lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Orr, who coached Michigan to the national title game in 1976, led the Cyclones to 218 wins from 1980-1994. He was 86. ... Although it was hot from the floor all game, Iowa State made just 7-of-16 free throws in the first half before knocking down all seven of its second-half attempts. ... G Travon Baker contributed 12 points for the Huskies.