KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Iowa State men’s basketball team received the kind of performances its expects from its big names Monday night.
Georges Niang had 28 points, Dustin Hogue and Naz Long provided plenty of help, and Monte’ Morris had 12 assists without a turnover.
No. 13 Iowa State needed all of them at their best, as Hogue had 17 points and Long added 15 in an 84-74 victory against Alabama in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.
Iowa State will play Maryland, a 78-73 winner against Arizona State, for the title tonight. Alabama and Arizona State will play in the third-place game.
“We wanted to be in attack mode all night long,” Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg said. “I thought we got a little stagnant there. Once we got our rhythm back we were pretty good.”
Rodney Cooper scored 27 points and Levi Randolph had 18 for the Crimson Tide (3-1).
“They made some timely shots when they needed,” Alabama coach Anthony Grant said. “They could always come up with a play, a shot around the rim. They were able to convert.”
The Cyclones were clinging to a 74-70 lead with less than three minutes left when Matt Thomas made a big jumper. Cooper hit a 3-pointer at the other end for Alabama, but after Niang made two foul shots, Cooper misfired from beyond the arc with two minutes to go.
Hogue’s basket with 1 minute, 28 seconds remaining gave Iowa state an 80-73 lead, putting the game away.
The return of Thomas, who finished with 13 points, and Abdel Nader gave Iowa State some much-needed depth. They had been suspended for violating team rules.
“What I did tonight is what I’m looking forward to doing all season,” Thomas said.
The Cyclones used a 10-0 run midway through the opening half to take control, and it was Niang doing most of the damage. The slimmed-down forward scored on a twisting layup, and then hit two straight 3-pointers to catapult Iowa State to a 38-26 lead with about four minutes to go.
Randolph answered with his only two baskets of the half, and Ricky Tarrant’s field goal at the buzzer trimmed Alabama’s deficit to 43-37 at halftime.
The Crimson Tide kept chipping away in the second half. Cooper hit his first five shots, two of them from beyond the arc, and Tarrant’s 3-pointer gave them a 59-58 lead with 11:22 left.
Long answered by going on a personal 8-0 run, the first four points coming when he was fouled on a 3-pointer in the corner. He made the ensuing free throw, and then made four more foul shots on two more trips down floor, allowing the Cyclones to regain the lead.
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