Ames, Iowa – The University of North Dakota men's basketball dropped a 83-52 decision to Iowa State on Tuesday night at the Hilton Coliseum. The Cylcones (9-3) had six players in double figures led by senior Marquiz Gilstrap, who had 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
The double-double was the fifth of the season for Gilstrap. ISU used a big second-half to stretch out what was a 10-point advantage at the half, outscoring the Sioux 53-30 after halftime.
Senior Travis Mertens (Devils Lake, N.D.) led UND (1-12) with 11 points and eight rebounds in the contest. Classmate Travis Bledsoe (Minneapolis, Minn.), sophomore Patrick Mitchell (Des Moines, Iowa) and redshirt freshman Spencer Goodman (Jackson, Mo.) each added eight for the Sioux.
“I know the score does not look like it, but I thought we got better,” UND head coach Brian Jones said. “People don't realize how good this Iowa State team is under Coach (Greg) McDermott. It is the best one he has had here.
“We were in a good spot, only down 10 at halftime, but their pressure got to us and we had some key ball handlers turn the ball over too much and that cost us. These games are getting us ready for conference play and we have three more of them before that begins.”
Mitchell sank a 3-pointer from the right wing to put the Sioux ahead 5-2 in the early going, but the Cyclones would answer with six straight points to claim a lead they would hold the rest of the half.
After going 0-for-5 from 3-point range to start the game, the Cyclones hit a pair of them during a 10-2 run that would push their lead to 18-8 with just over 12 minutes play in the half.
The Sioux withstood that quick flurry by the Cyclones as the teams would exchange just 12 points the rest of the half. A steal and lay-up by Chris Colvin with just three seconds remaining gave ISU its 30-20 cushion at the break.
Both teams struggled from the floor in the opening 20 minutes as the Sioux went 8-for-28 (28.6 percent), while the Cyclones were not much better, connecting on 9-of-26 shots (34.6 percent).
ISU did a nice job on the boards, however, holding a 29-12 advantage, which they turned into nine second-chance points before halftime. Gilstrap had 11 of his rebounds in the half.
UND made just two field goals in the opening 14 minutes of the half, while the Cyclones opened making 13-of-17 from the field after the break to put the game away. Laron Dendy added 13 points for the Cyclones, while potential NBA Lottery pick Craig Brackens was held 12 points, six off his season average.
The Cyclones turned up the pressure in the second half, forcing the Sioux into 15 turnovers that they turned into 28 points.
Goodman scored all of his eight points from the charity stripe, as he went 8-for-10 (both career highs). Mitchell's eight points came in the first half, while Bledsoe's eight all came in the second half.
The Sioux will return to action after Christmas on Dec. 29 when they play host to St. Olaf College (Northfield, Minn.). Tip-off against the Oles is set for 7 p.m.
