National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Iowa St. 130, The Citadel 63
When: 2:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 20, 2016
Where: James H. Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa
Officials: # Michael Greenstein, # Tom O'Neill, # Brooks Wells
Attendance: 14228

Point guard Monte Morris became just the fifth player in Iowa State history to compile a triple-double on Sunday.

But one other set of stats captured Morris' attention after the 20th-ranked Cyclones routed The Citadel 130-63 in a nonconference mismatch at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.

Morris and the rest of the starting lineup -- Nazareth Mitrou-Long, Matt Thomas, Deonte Burton and Merrill Holden -- played a turnover-free game.

It would be noteworthy if it occurred against an opponent that never pressed and played a half-court zone, but that it happened against an opponent creating nearly 25 turnovers per game makes it even more of a feat.

"Taking care of the ball is big," Morris said. "To see those zeros down there shows you the mental focus we had. Mental focus shows when you prepare for a team."

Iowa State (3-0) left no doubt about this one from the outset. It scored the first 12 points in just over three minutes and never really let up. The lead grew to 62-22 by the half and expanded to 68 points with 7:41 remaining.

The Bulldogs (3-2) entered the day pinning their hopes on the top offense in Division I but simply couldn’t make enough shots to make the Cyclones work. They missed their first eight from the field and just 7 of 40 in the first half.

While Iowa State finished 52 of 86 from the field, The Citadel sank just 21 of 77 for 27.3 percent, scoring 49 points below its per-game average.

"I thought our defensive effort was good the majority of the game," Cyclones coach Steve Prohm said. "I didn't want it to get sloppy. I thought it was our most complete game of the first three games."

Morris collected 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists -- his 13th career game with double-figure assists and his 38th career game with no turnovers. Morris was one of just eight Iowa State players in double figures.

Nazareth Mitrou-Long scored a game-high 26 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists in only 21 minutes. Matt Thomas added 18 points, scoring eight in the early 12-0 run that shaped the game's remainder.

Merrill Holden and Darrell Bowie each scored 13 points, with Bowie tacking on 10 rebounds for a double-double. Freshman Solomon Young tallied 12 off the bench, and reserves Nick Weiler-Babb and Donovan Jackson chipped in 10 points apiece.

The Cyclones drew 31 assists and owned a whopping 78-12 advantage in points in the paint as they broke a 39-year old school record for most points in a game.

Quayson Williams paced the Bulldogs with 15 points, and reserves Matt Frierson and Kaelon Harris scored 12 and 10, respectively. The Citadel's leading scorer, forward Zane Najdawi, managed only six points and one rebound in 18 minutes before fouling out.

Iowa State turns its attention to the month's heavy lifting at a Thanksgiving weekend tournament in Kissimmee, Fla. It will open Thursday with Indiana State and could get cracks at Miami and Gonzaga later in the weekend.

"It's a really good field," Prohm said. "You find out where you're at, and what you need to do to get better. No matter what happens, it's still November. You want to keep improving as you go through December and then get to January and February." NOTES: Iowa State has led the Big 12 in scoring the last four seasons, the first school to do that since Kansas pulled it off from 2000 to 2003. ... The Citadel entered the game ranked tops in Division I in scoring at 112.3 points per game and second in turnovers forced (24.8), offensive rebounds (21.5) and 3-point makes (14.3). ... When Mount St. Mary's shot 26.6 percent from the field Monday night in its loss at Iowa State, it was the worst shooting percentage by a Cyclones opponent in more than two years.
Top Game Performances
 
The Citadel   Iowa St.
Quayson Williams 15 Scoring Nazareth Mitrou-Long 26
Preston Parks 6 Assists Monte Morris 10
Kaelon Harris 8 Rebounds Darrell Bowie 10
Quayson Williams 3 Free Throws Made Merrill Holden 5
Quayson Williams 2 Steals Nick Weiler-Babb 3
Preston Parks 1 Blocks Deonte Burton 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
The Citadel 63 27.3 15-45 6-10 16 29 2 6 17
Iowa St. 130 60.5 8-22 18-26 31 63 2 12 8
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