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AMES, Iowa — Statistically, Iowa State has one of the best defenses in Division I men's basketball, one that was instrumental in the Cyclones beating previously No. 1-ranked North Carolina last week.
North Dakota got a first-hand look at the Cyclones' defense Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum.
Iowa State, ranked No. 23 in the latest AP Top 25 poll, used 9-0 and 11-0 second-half scoring runs to pull away from UND 63-44 — a loss that ended the Hawks' three-game win streak. UND dropped to 5-4 while Iowa State improved to 6-1.
UND, led by Matt Norman's nine points, trailed 26-24 at the half. A'Jahni Levias scored the game's first five points. That helped UND hold small leads for much of the first half.
But Iowa State turned up its defensive pressure in the second half.
Overall, Iowa State came up with 12 steals, which were part of UND's 20 turnovers. Iowa State held a 26-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Cyclones also dominated the boards, outrebounding UND 38-29. Iowa State also outscored UND 32-16 in the paint.
Caleb Grill paced the Cyclones with 16 points, putting in 10 points in the final 20 minutes.
Tamin Lipsey netted 11 points to go with a game-high four steals. Robert Jones was also in double figures for ISU with 10 points.
Levias added eight points for the Hawks, who shot 35 percent to Iowa State's 42.
Iowa State's 9-0 run in the second half gave the Cyclones a 39-27 lead with 14:35 to go. Five minutes later Iowa State used an 11-0 run to go up 58-39.
North Dakota will visit Portland on Saturday.
