AMES, Iowa – Long Beach State outscored No. 4 Iowa State in the second half on the road, but a tremendous start from the unbeaten Cyclones gave ISU plenty of cushion as the Beach fell 91-60.
Gavin Sykes scored 19 points for Long Beach State (3-10) to once again lead the Beach, while Rob Diaz III gave the team a boost off of the bench with 13 points, all coming in the second half.
Sykes got the first basket for the Beach in the opening minute, but an 8-0 run from Iowa State (12-0) quickly opened up the contest on Sunday. The Cyclones had a dominant first half, using a later 15-0 run to take a 24-point lead. Iowa State shot 68.8% from the field in the first half and led 57-20 at the break.
The second half was considerably better for the Beach. Iowa State took their largest lead of the game at 67-24 over the first four minutes, but Long Beach State refused to break, answering with an 8-0 run of their own capped by two fast-break baskets created by steals on the defensive end.
Long Beach State outshot the Cyclones 48.5 percent to 42.4 in the second half, and won the second on the scoreboard 40-34. Petar Majstorovic led the team on the glass with 7 rebounds. Joshua Jefferson and Blake Buchanan both had double-doubles for Iowa State, while Milan Momcilovic led the Cyclones in scoring with 27.
Long Beach State will host Lincoln on December 30 in the team’s final non-conference before returning to Big West play on Saturday, January 3 by hosting Cal Poly.
