Tre Singleton scored 19 of his career-high 28 points in the first half as No. 18 Iowa State rolled to an 83-57 nonconference victory over Southern Mississippi on Friday night in Ames, Iowa.
Jaquan Johnson posted 10 points and a game-high four assists while Ryan Prather Jr. scored nine points as the Cyclones (1-1) recovered from a neutral-court loss to Memphis on Monday.
Singleton was 10 of 17 from the floor and added nine rebounds as the Northwestern transfer followed up his 11-rebound performance against Memphis. The forward set his career mark in points in the first half.
The Cyclones never trailed as they shot 52.9% from the floor overall and had a 38-28 rebounding advantage.
Anthony Igiede scored 13 points and Brandon Weston added nine for Southern Miss (1-1), which shot 36.5% from the floor and was forced into 18 turnovers that Iowa State turned into 23 points. Sun Belt Conference preseason Player of the Year Isaac Taveras was held to three shots and five points before fouling out with 6:55 remaining.
The Golden Eagles struggled with the step up in competition after a season-opening victory over NAIA Tougaloo on Monday.
Southern Miss was competitive for much of the first half and was within 35-29 with just under three minutes remaining before halftime. Iowa State took over from there as Singleton scored seven points to highlight an 11-0 run to close out the half.
A 5-0 run early in the second half gave Iowa State its first 20-point lead of the game at 54-33 with 13:42 remaining in the game. Southern Miss responded with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 54-40 with 12:14 remaining after a jump hook from Michael Montano.
The Cyclones put the game away with a 15-0 run to take a 69-40 lead with 9:15 to play.
Iowa State guards Johnson and Jamarion Batemon combined to go 5 of 14 from the floor for 18 points after they missed all 11 shots between them against Memphis.
