AMES, Iowa (AP) — Caleb Grill and Izaiah Brockington combined for 37 points and No. 11 Iowa State pulled away from Southeastern Louisiana for a 77-54 victory Sunday to remain unbeaten.
Grill finished with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting for the Cyclones (11-0), including 6 of 10 from 3-point range.
Brockington added 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting. He also grabbed 11 rebounds.
“I thought we did a good job playing for each other,” said Grill, who entered averaging 6.1 points on the season.
Grill’s shots from beyond the arc helped Iowa State build leads of 14-7, 34-23 and 39-24. The Cyclones made eight of 10 shots while extending their margin to 53-34 with less than nine minutes to play.
“There’s nothing better than when you see someone put in that work and have success,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “I just want guys to trust the work they put in, and fortunately Caleb did that.”
Southeastern (4-8) shot just 37% for the game, including eight of 29 from 3-point range. Gus Okafor led the Lions with 13 points and collected eight rebounds.
“We really preached that if we speed them up and force them to play faster, it would force them to take shots they’re not used to taking,” Otzelberger said.
The last time Iowa State won its first 11 games was the 2013-14 season, when the Cyclones went 14-0.
The Cyclones were holding opponents to 57.1 points per game heading into Sunday and have now held eight opponents to 60 points or fewer.
Both teams were shaky early. Iowa State committed four turnovers in the first four minutes. Southeastern made just three of its first 16 shots, including 1 for 10 from 3-point range.
BIG PICTURE
Iowa State has gone from 18 straight losses to end last season to a possible Top-10 team when the Cyclones tip off Big 12 Conference play on Jan. 1 against current No. 1 Baylor. Otzelberger’s team was picked to finish last in the conference before the season.
UP NEXT
Southeastern: The Lions visit Iowa on Tuesday.
Iowa State: The Cyclones are scheduled to host Chicago State on Tuesday, but that game is in jeopardy after the Cougars’ game scheduled for Sunday at nearby Drake was postponed. No reason was given, but media reports cited COVID-19 issues within the Chicago State program.
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