NCAA News Wire
Iowa State 93, North Carolina Central 75
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Iowa State put to rest any threat of a North Carolina Central upset with a heavy dose of forward Georges Niang.
The No. 3-seeded Cyclones rode Niang’s hot hand in the second half to a 93-75 victory over the No. 14-seeded Eagles in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night at the AT&T Center.
Niang scored 15 of his 24 points after halftime, ensuring that Iowa State ran away with its NCAA Tournament opener.
The Cyclones (27-7) advance to play North Carolina on Sunday in San Antonio.
Guard Jeremy Ingram led North Carolina Central (28-6) with a game-high 28 points.
Iowa State had five players score in double digits. Forward Melvin Ejim finished with 17 points, forward Dustin Hogue and guard Monte Morris with 15 each and guard DeAndre Kane with 14.
Morris hit a 3-pointer to start the second half as the Cyclones began to assert themselves. Morris’ trey gave Iowa State a nine-point lead, which it stretched to double digits when Niang made a 3-pointer with 16:10 left.
Niang scored 10 points in the first seven minutes of the second half. Iowa State went ahead by 15 when Kane made a layup on an assist from Ejim.
Ejim scored six points during Iowa State’s 8-0 run late in the first half as the Cyclones threatened to pull away from North Carolina Central. Ejim finished the surge with a two-handed fast-break dunk on an assist from Monte Morris.
But the Eagles responded with a 9-2 run as Ingram completed a three-point play, hit a jumper and went to the basket for a layup that cut Iowa State’s lead to 40-39.
Ingram finished the first half with 14 points and forward Karamo Jawara added 10 for North Carolina Central.
Kane and Hogue had 11 points apiece in the first half to lead Iowa State.
Hogue finished the first half with an emphatic putback dunk of a Kane miss to give Iowa State a 45-39 halftime lead.
NOTES: Iowa State was attempting to even its NCAA Tournament record. The Cyclones entered with a 14-15 record in NCAA tournament games. … Iowa State played 18 games against teams that made the NCAA Tournament this season and went 12-6. North Carolina Central played three games against NCAA Tournament qualifiers, winning at NC State and losing at Cincinnati and Wichita State. … North Carolina Central, located in Durham, N.C., made its first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance. The Eagles won the NCAA Division II national championship in 1989.
