MBB: ISU Earns Season Sweep of Nebraska, 69-63

[Jeremy]

MBB: ISU Earns Season Sweep of Nebraska, 69-63
Media Relations

LINCOLN, Neb. – Wesley Johnson and Corey McIntosh scored career-highs as Iowa State used a 19-4 first half run to grab a big lead and hold off a fierce Nebraska rally to defeat the Huskers, 69-63, Wednesday night at the Devaney Center.

“I thought we started the game as well as we could have,” said Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott. “We played as well tonight as we have all year on the road. Mike (Taylor) and Wesley (Johnson) were really clicking and it was a really good first half.”

Johnson scored 22 points and McIntosh added 14 for the Cyclones. Johnson’s 22 points ties for the 21st most points in a single-game by a Cyclone freshman.

“Corey did a good job running the offense tonight and Wesley just had a good all-around game,” said McDermott. “He hit a lot of big shots and did some good things on the defensive end. He has a chance to be a really special player.”

Mike Taylor chipped in 19 points and hit a 3-pointer for the 25th straight game. Taylor and Rahshon Clark were the leading rebounders with seven apiece.

“The thing I really liked about Mike’s stat line is that he scored 19 points on just 11 shots tonight,” said McDermott.

As a team, the Cyclones shot 47.9 percent (23-for-48) from the field in the game, while limiting the Huskers to just 38.3 percent (23-for-60). The Cyclones also made 47.1 percent (8-for-17) from long range in the contest.

The Cyclones (15-14, 6-9 Big 12) were able to earn a season sweep of the Huskers (16-12, 5-9) for the first time since the 2000-01 season, despite a 36 point-14 rebound effort from the Huskers’ Aleks Maric. The win also marks just the third time Iowa State has won three straight games in Lincoln.

After falling behind early by a slim margin, 6-5, Iowa State stormed out to a big lead behind Taylor and Wesley Johnson. The duo combined for 20 of the first 24 ISU points as the Cyclones used a 19-4 run to go up 24-10. Taylor went 3-for-4 from behind the arc during the Cyclone run.

The Huskers, behind Maric, who scored 18 of the Huskers’ 24 first half points, were able to close the gap to 35-24 going to the break. Wesley Johnson finished the half with 14 points, while Taylor had 11 to help pace the Cyclones, who shot 50 percent (14-for-28) from the field.

Ryan Anderson hit a 3-pointer and Maric got free for a dunk to cap off an 11-4 run for the Huskers to start the second half and trim the Cyclone lead to 39-35 with 15:39 remaining. Iowa State put some distance between the teams as Wesley Johnson connected from long range and Ross Marsden hit a 15-foot jumper to give the Cyclones a 44-37 lead with 12:13 left.

Nebraska again closed the gap to five at 54-49 with 5:41 left but McIntosh drilled a pair of free throws to up the lead to seven. The Cyclones went to the under four media timeout leading 57-49 but Marcus Perry nailed a 3-pointer to cut it to five at 57-52.

Maric then hit a jump hook to make it a one possession game, but Taylor responded with an old fashioned three-point play to increase the lead to 60-54. After the Huskers missed three of four free throws, Clark grabbed a Taylor miss and scored his first field goal of the game to again increase the lead to seven points at 62-55.

The Cyclones were able to hold off the Huskers the rest of the way, led by four free throws from McIntosh and one from Marsden in the final minute.

The Cyclones will close out Big 12 play with a 7 p.m. contest Saturday night against Texas Tech. The game will mark the final home game for the Cyclones’ four seniors (Jeff Bergstrom, Chris Ceaser, Jessan Gray, Dustin Streff).

[booyaa187]

big ups to the way Cory Mcintosh is finishing the season. He has come a long way. He is playing with much more confidence and is no longer a liability on the floor.