Iowa State holds off North Dakota State

AMES, Iowa - Abdel Nader scored 21 points, Jameel McKay had 15 to go with a career-high 19 rebounds and fifth-ranked Iowa State beat North Dakota State 84-64 on Tuesday night

Monte Morris had 18 points and six assists for the Cyclones (6-0), who overcame a sluggish outing to post their fifth straight win by double digits.

The Bison made things tough on the Cyclones for about 30 minutes. But Iowa State's 13-2 run midway through the second half ensured its 30th straight non-conference win at home.

A.J. Jacobson and Paul Miller each had 17 points to lead North Dakota State (4-2).

Iowa State's first five games under new coach Steve Prohm went about as smoothly as possible.

That changed briefly in the first half.

Georges Niang, a preseason first-team All-American, fell hard to the floor clutching his right leg. Niang walked off on both feet, though, with his arm wrapped around McKay's back.

A crowd that fell silent cheered just three minutes later when Niang checked back in. Niang then quickly spun past a defender for one of his trademark bank shots, helping kick-start a 9-0 run that put Iowa State ahead 36-30 at halftime.

Niang's 3 early in the second half made it 43-33. Niang then sat for a bit with foul trouble, but his 3-point play gave the Cyclones a 70-56 lead with 6:26 to go.

Niang finished with 15 points.