Tre King scores 11 in Iowa State debut as Cyclone men's hoops downs Western Michigan
AMES — The Iowa State men's basketball team breezed through Western Michigan, 73-57, at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
The Cyclones, now 9-2 overall this season, opened the game on a 17-3 run and led by double digits the rest of the way over the outmatched Broncos, who fall to 3-8. Iowa State led by as many as 22 in the second half and has now won two games in a row and three out of four in the month of December.
Five players finished in double-figures for the Cyclones. The most notable was Tre King, the 6-foot-7 forward who announced his transfer to Iowa State on Dec. 1, 2021, and finally made his debut Sunday. He scored his first points on a dunk and ultimately scored 11 on 5-of-6 shooting.
"Felt great," said King, who transferred in from Georgetown after starting his college career at Eastern Kentucky. "It was a long time coming. A lot of long days and long nights. But playing in Hilton for the first time, it was great."
"I thought he did a really good job," said Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger. "We talked about him being a guy we could throw (the ball) in to. He's a great cutter, finisher. He had a great cut on the baseline that led to a dunk. Liked his energy out there. Felt like his defensive communication was good. Really pleased.
"He's worked really hard to get this opportunity. It's been a while. Very happy with the first performance from him. It's something we can keep building on."
Caleb Grill led Iowa State with 14 points, fueled by a trio of 3-pointers. Gabe Kalscheur added 11 off the bench and both Jaren Holmes and Robert Jones scored 10. Jones also matched Tamin Lipsey with a team-best five assists. In all, Iowa State shot 63.3% from the field in front of an announced crowd of 11,992.
"Getting an easy one at the start really helped me," Grill, who finished 5-of-7 shooting and 3-of-5 from deep, said. "That helps with confidence, just seeing the ball go through the hoop a couple of times. That leads to more success throughout the game."
The only bit of drama that occurred was Osun Osunniyi leaving the game with the assistance of staff members midway through the first half, favoring his ankle. He scored 4 points and added two assists and a steal, but played just six minutes.
"Not sure what the latest is," Otzelberger said. "I'm sure we'll get an MRI and look at it today to make sure there's no more damage there. Certainly want to make sure his health and safety is number one. We didn't want to push it today without knowing that information. We'll get it looked at and do what's in his best interest."
Three Broncos finished in double figures, led by Lamar Norman Jr., who hit 6-of-13 triples and led all scorers with 24 points. Tray Maddox Jr. added 13 and Javaugh Hannah scored 10, but the Broncos shot just 38.5% for the game.
Iowa State plays Omaha on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum. Then the Cyclones open Big 12 play against No. 11 Baylor on Dec. 31 at 1 p.m. in Ames.
Cody Goodwin normally covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register, but is assisting the Register's Iowa State coverage team as we navigate mandated unpaid time off. For primarily wrestling coverage, follow Cody on Twitter at @codygoodwin.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tre King makes Iowa State MBB debut as Cyclones beat Western Michigan
