AMES, IOWA – Iowa State hit 11 three-point shots and pulled away late from Campbell 88-68 Sunday night at Hilton Coliseum.
Tyrus McGee came off the bench to knock down 4-of-7 threes and lead five Cyclones in double figures with 16 points. Will Clyburn added 15 points, plus 8 rebounds, Chris Babb and Melvin Ejim chipped in 13 each and Georges Niang 11 for Iowa State (3-0), which shot 54.5 percent in the second half.
Darren White topped Campbell (2-2) with 20 points. Trey Freeman added 13, plus 5 assists, Darian Hooker 12 points and Andrew Ryan 10. Darius Leonard chipped in 9 points and 6 rebounds for the Camels, who shot 43 percent on the night.
"Overall, I was pleased. Our effort was great," said Campbell head coach Robbie Laing. "We broke down in a couple of areas, defensive transition and defending the three. I think we would have been better if our bench wasn't so thin right now due to injuries. But you have to play with what you're dealt."
After Hooker brought Campbell within 81-68 with 2:29 remaining, Iowa State closed the game on a 7-0 run to take its largest lead of the night.
"While the outcome score-wise wasn't what we wanted, I think we were able to get some things across to our guys about what you can and can't get away with at this level, said Laing. "Tonight helped us build for a better future."
Campbell led 20-19 after Leonard's jump hook in the paint with 7:38 to go in the opening half. However, McGee fueled a 14-0 run with 10 consecutive points that gave the Cyclones their largest lead of the first half (33-20) of the period. Campbell responded with 8 unanswered points and trimmed the margin to 33-28 on Freeman's bucket with 1:11 to play
McGee again connected from long range and Iowa State led 36-28 at half-time. The Cyclones extended the push to 13-4 around intermission and the Camels were unable to cut the gap to single digits over the final 19 minutes.
White scored half of Campbell's 28 points in the first period on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor and 4-of-4 from the stripe. The senior from Danville, Va., followed Friday's career-high 36-point effort vs. Appalachian State by making 6-of-6 from the line and 7-of-18 from the field, while providing 3 assists and 2 steals.
Marvelle Harris grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds in 20 minutes for the Camels, who made 10-of-12 foul shots, but never reached the bonus against Iowa State, which committed only 9 fouls all night.
Iowa State entered the game averaging 9.0 threes made per game and connected on 11-of-30 beyond the arc. The Cyclones shot 47 percent overall for the game and made 13-of-16 (.813) free throws, while holding a slim 38-36 edge on the glass.
Campbell continues its 4-game road trip Tuesday at No.-24 Cincinnati in a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. The Camels then take on North Carolina A&T Friday (1:30 p.m. EST) in the Thomas & Mack Center at Las Vegas.
Notes:
Sunday's attendance of 11,352 marked the 8th-largest crowd to witness a Campbell basketball game.
Iowa State extended its home court win streak to 10 games dating to the 2011-12 season.
