McKay leads No. 14 Iowa State past Texas Tech 75-38

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Jameel McKay scored 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting in his first start and keyed a strong defensive effort that carried No. 14 Iowa State to a 75-38 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday.

It was a sharp turnaround for the Cyclones (17-5, 7-3 Big 12) from their surprising 78-73 loss at Tech two weeks earlier, a game in which they fell behind 29-10. Iowa State bolted ahead 29-8 in this one and was never challenged in winning for the 20th straight time at home.

Naz Long added 15 points for Iowa State, which shot 56 percent and allowed its fewest points of the season to a Big 12 opponent.

Toddrick Gotcher led Tech with 11 points, all but two in the first half.

Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg started the 6-foot-9 McKay in hopes of finding some early energy. He got what he wanted.

McKay, wearing fluorescent green sneakers, controlled the lane, his teammates aggressively guarded the perimeter and the Cyclones kept the Red Raiders from reaching double figures until less than 3 minutes remained in the opening half.

In one sequence, McKay blocked a shot near the basket, then beat everyone down the floor for a layup, two of the Cyclones' 13 fastbreak points in the first half. He also dunked on a lob from Georges Niang and scored on an aggressive drive.

And when a fan yelled, "Jameel, we love your shoes," he flashed a big thumbs up. He finished with eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Texas Tech had burned Iowa State in Lubbock, going 11-for-24 from 3-point range, including six from behind the arc in the Red Raiders' early burst. They faced a much more determined defense on Saturday, missing their first eight shots from 3-point range and finishing 4-for-20 from behind the arc.

Gotcher finally shook free to hit three straight 3s late in the first half to keep the margin under 20 — for a little while, anyway.

Iowa State led 35-17 at halftime before blowing it open with a 16-4 run. McKay converted a three-point play off a layup and dunked on a fastbreak and Bryce Dej ean-Jones, the player McKay replaced in the lineup, followed with a 3 for a 56-27 lead.

A Matt Thomas 3-pointer and McKay's third dunk of the afternoon started a 16-0 run that stretched the lead to 72-29.

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