AMES, Iowa-Iowa State (3-0) will play host to Mississippi Valley State (1-2) in Hilton Coliseum on Sunday for the second season in a row. ISU defeated MVSU, 77-59 in Ames last year. Sunday's game is a part of the Chicago Invitational.
Who: Iowa State (3-0, 0-0) vs. Mississippi Valley State (1-2, 0-0)
When: Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 • 1 p.m.
Where: Ames, Iowa • Hilton Coliseum (14,356)
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: John Walters (pxp); Eric Heft (color)
Television: None
Live Stats: cyclones.com
Online Video/Audio: Clone Zone
Cyclone Notebook
- Iowa State (3-0) will play host to Mississippi Valley State (1-2) in Hilton Coliseum on Sunday for the second season in a row...ISU defeated MVSU, 77-59 in Ames last year.
- The game is not televised, but the videoboard feed will be available on cyclones.com through a Clone Zone subscription.
- Sunday’s game is a part of the Chicago Invitational...the Cyclones host two games in the invitational (Mississippi Valley State, Nov. 22; Tennessee State, Nov. 24) before heading to Chicago to battle St. Louis on Nov. 27...ISU will face either Northwestern or Notre Dame the next evening (Nov. 28).
- The Cyclones were victorious in the first step of their quest to win the mythical state championship on Tuesday, winning at Drake, 90-70...ISU has not won a mythical state championship since the 2005-06 season, sweeping Drake, Northern Iowa and Iowa.
- The 20-point winning margin was the most by an ISU team on the road since defeating Missouri by 24 points (82-58) on Jan. 25, 2006...ISU’s 90 points scored in a road win (non-overtime game) vs. a D-I school is the most since winning at Oklahoma, 95-82 on Feb. 23, 1994.
Last Time Out
- Iowa State ended its three-game losing streak to Drake and an overall eight-game road losing streak with a 90-70 win at Drake Tuesday night.
- The Cyclones were led by their German sharpshooter Lucca Staiger, who canned a school-record 10 treys on 10-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc en route to a career-high 32 points.
- Staiger’s 10 treys ties for the second-best all-time single-game mark in Big 12 history.
- Staiger leads the Big 12 in 3-pointers made (5.0 3fg) and his 89 career treys ranks 11th all-time in school history.
- Staiger got help from preseason All-American Craig Brackins, who tallied 22 points (10-16 FG; 2-2 FT) and grabbed 10 boards to notch his first double-double of the season and the 19th of his career...Brackins was scoreless through the first 12 minutes of the game, but scored 11 points in the final eight minutes of the first half.
- It was Brackins’ 25th 20-point/10-rebound game of his career and his 1,057 career points ranks 24th in school history.
- Another star for the Cyclones was junior point guard Diante Garrett, who tied a career high with 11 assists, the fifth double-digit assist effort of his career.
- Garrett, who leads the Big 12 in assists (7.7 apg), has handed out 23 assists and committed five turnovers to post a 4.6 a/t ratio, also tops in the league.
- Scott Christopherson came off the bench to record double figures in scoring for the third-straight game with 15 points (5-9 FG; 3-5 3FG)...Christopherson is 7-of-11 from 3-point range this season (63.6 percent).
- The Cyclones made 14 3-pointers vs. Drake, falling one shy from the school mark of 15 set last season vs. UW-Milwaukee.
- ISU is shooting 55.6 percent from 3-point range, tops in the Big 12 and fifth nationally...ISU also leads the conference in 3-pointers made per game (10.0 3FG).
- ISU handed out 23 assists vs. Drake, the second time in three games ISU recorded 20 or more assists in a game.
- Staiger and Garrett set and tied a pair Knapp Center records in the win...Staiger’s 10 treys broke the old record of nine by Iowa’s Chris Kingsbury...Garrett tied the Coliseum record for assists with 11.
Cyclone-Delta Devil Quick Facts
- Iowa State and Mississippi Valley State have faced each other two other times, with ISU holding a 2-0 mark...the Cyclones won last season, 77-59...ISU was tied at the half with the Delta Devils, but shot 69.6 percent from the field in the second half to come away with the 18-point victory...Craig Brackins had 20 points (8-16 FG) in the win.
- ISU also won 106-64 on Dec. 3, 1999 in the schools first meeting.
- The Cyclones have only scored over 100 points in a game only four times since.
- All-American Marcus Fizer led ISU with 27 points in the win, which was a part of the 1999 Norwest Cyclone Challenge.
- ISU has never lost a game to a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) member, owning an all-time 13-0 mark.
- MVSU is coached by Sean Woods, who was a star at Kentucky from 1989-92 where he was a member of the “Unforgettables”...he is remembered for hitting the running bank shot in the 1992 East Regional final that put Kentucky up by one point (103-102) against Duke with 2.9 seconds left...of course, the next play is one of the most famous in NCAA history, as Duke’s Christian Laettner grabbed a full-court pass from Grant Hill and sunk the shot at the buzzer to end Kentucky’s magical season.
- Woods’ Kentucky team played ISU in the second round of the NCAA Tournament that season in Worcester, Mass...ISU battled Kentucky to the end before falling 106-98...ISU’s Justus Thigpen and Ron Bayless scored 32 and 30 points, respectively, in the loss...Woods had 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor.
- MVSU junior D’Angelo Jackson is from Milwaukee, Wis., and earned all-state honors and graduated the same year as ISU’s Diante Garrett (Milwaukee) and Scott Christopherson (LaCrosse).
A Closer Look At Mississippi Valley State
- Mississippi Valley State (1-2), located in Itta Ben, Miss., lost its first two games on the road to Washington State (94-66) and Gonzaga (92-74) before notching its first win on Thursday at home vs. Champion Baptist (102-56).
- The Delta Devils had six players in double figures in the rout.
- The Delta Devils are averaging 80.7 points per game, but are allowing 80.7 points.
- Junior Shannon Behling is the team’s top returner from a year ago...the 6-7 forward averaged 10.4 points last season and is currently averaging 9.3 ppg.
- Behling led all scorers in last year’s game vs. Iowa State in Hilton Coliseum, going 8-of-13 from the field and 4-of-8 from 3-point range en route to 21 points.
- Sophomore Tashan Newsome is leading the team in both scoring (11.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg)...a 6-4, guard from Albany, N.Y., Newsome is also averaging 3.0 assists per game.
- Junior college transfer Michael Mayo is averaging 10.0 points and has connected on 44.4 percent of his 3-pointers this season (8-18 3FG).
- The Delta Devils have shot well from beyond the arc, making 35.6 percent of their shots from downtown (32-90 3FG) and averaging 10.6 3fg per game.
Iowa State Team Quick Facts
u ISU’s opponents are averaging 25.0 points in the opening half.
- ISU has scored 70 points or more in all three games this season, averaging 83.3 ppg...ISU is 25-2 in the Greg McDermott era when scoring 70 points or more.
- ISU has shot 50 percent or above in two of three games for a 51.1 percent season tally...ISU is 10-0 when shooting 50 percent or above in the McDermott era.
- ISU is shooting 55.6 percent from 3-point range, best in the Big 12 and fifth nationally...ISU is also leading the Big 12 in 3-pointers made per game at 10.0 3FG.
- The Cyclones have handed out 20 or more assists in two of three games, leading the Big 12 in assists at 20.0 apg.
- ISU has outrebounded all three opponents this year by a +11.7 margin.
- ISU is 27-2 in the McDermott era when its opponents score under 60 points.
Iowa State Player Quick Facts
Craig Brackins
- Has 25 20-point games and four 30-point games in his career.
- Has 15 20-point/10-rebound games and 19 double-doubles in his career.
- Ranks 24th on ISU’s career scoring chart with 1,057 points...he needs 19 points to pass Rahshon Clark at No. 23.
- Ranks 11th on ISU’s career blocked shot chart (69).
- Scored in double figures in 36 of his last 38 games.
- Blocked a career-high six shots vs. Chicago State.
Diante Garrett
- Has the team’s longest current starting streak at 35-straight games.
- Handed out five or more assists 27 times in his career and in every game this season.
- Ranks 13th on ISU’s all-time career assist chart with 275.
- Has a 4.6 assist/turnover ratio so far this season (23/5) to lead the Big 12.
- Leads the Big 12 in assists at 7.7 apg.
- Has five double-digit assist games in his career.
- Tied his career high with 11 assists at Drake, tying the Knapp Center record.
Lucca Staiger
- Has made two or more treys in every game this year and 26 times in his career.
- Ranks 11th on ISU’s career 3-pointers made list with 89.
- His 40.3 percentage from 3-point range ranks third all-time in school history.
- Leads the Big 12 in 3-pointers per game at 5.0 3fg, tying for fifth nationally.
- Broke the school record for 3-pointers made in a game with 10 at Drake...that mark ties for second on the Big 12’s single-game chart.
- Owns two of the top three ISU single-game 3-pointers made marks (10 vs. Drake; 8 vs. Drake).
Scott Christopherson
- Ranks seventh in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage at 63.6 percent.
- Scored in double figures from off the bench in his first three games...the last Cyclone non-starter to record double digits in scoring in four-straight games was Marcus Jefferson in 2003.
- Made 61.9 percent of his shots from the field (13-of-21 FG).
- Recorded two or more 3-pointers in every game.
Marquis Gilstrap
- Started all three games, averaging 10.0 rebounds to rank fifth in the Big 12.
- Recorded his first double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds vs. Chicago State...the 15 boards was the most by a Cyclone since Brackins had 16 vs. SIU-E.
Jamie Vanderbeken
- Has not missed a shot this season, going 6-of-6 from the field and 3-of-3 from 3-point range.
- He is a career 42.7 percent shooter from beyond the arc (38-89 3FG)...he needs 11 treys to meet the school’s minimum for career 3-point percentage.
- Sat out much of the preseason after a suffering a stress fracture in tryouts for the Great Britain team that participated in the 2009 European Championships.
LaRon Dendy
- Scored 16 points and grabbed seven boards in his Cyclone debut vs. Idaho St.
- Missed the last two games because of a knee sprain...is expected to return for the Chicago Invitational (Nov. 27-28).
The Cyclones Dig The Long Ball
- Since Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott took over in the 2006-07, he has always emphasized the importance of outside shooting.
- The Cyclones broke the school record for 3-pointers made in a season last year with 236 and three of the top four 3-point shooting teams in school history in regards to makes have come in the three-year Greg McDermott era.
- Three of the top four single-game 3-point shooting performances in ISU history have also occurred in the McDermott era, including this year’s 14-of-23 effort vs. Drake that ranks second all-time
- ISU currently leads the Big 12 in both 3-point FG percentage (55.6 pct.) and 3-point FG per game at 10.0...ISU ranks fifth in the nation in 3-point FG percentage.
- Lucca Staiger broke the school record for 3-pointers made in a game with 10 against Drake, which also ties for second all-time in Big 12 history.
Improved Scoring
- Iowa State is showing all of the signs that it will be a much-improved scoring team this year.
- Through three games this year, ISU is averaging 83.3 ppg, scoring 70 or more points in all three games.
- ISU has reached 80 points twice in three games...the Cyclones only scored over 80 points once last season.
