Haliburton’s 17 assists lead Iowa State past Southern 101-65

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AMES, Iowa (AP) — Freshman Tyrese Haliburton has been a fixture in Iowa State's lineup all season, quietly filling up the stat sheet while his high-scoring teammates grabbed the spotlight.

There wasn't anything quiet about what Haliburton did on a record-setting Sunday night.

Haliburton dished out 17 assists to break an Iowa State mark that had lasted 44 years, Marial Shayok had 20 of his 26 points in the second half and the Cyclones cruised past Southern 101-65.

Haliburton also scored 15 points for the Cyclones (8-2), who responded to Thursday's 98-84 loss at No. 18 Iowa by shooting 70.2 percent from the field — its best since hitting 74.4 percent against Georgia in the 2004 NIT.

"He's just got something about him," Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said about Haliburton. "That's what he's all about. He's an awesome kid to coach. He just wants to win...some guys (have) got it, and he's got it."

After jumping ahead 46-29 at halftime, the Cyclones went to Shayok and Haliburton to put things away.

Shayok, the senior transfer from Virginia, scored 18 points in just nine minutes as Iowa State built its lead up to 79-53 with 7:48 left. Shayok's 26 points tied a career high he set on Nov. 12 against Texas Southern, and Haliburton had 10 assists in the second half.

Haliburton said that Iowa State broadcaster Eric Heft — who set the record against Nebraska in 1974 — joked with him after the Iowa game that he needed the freshman to snap his decades-old record.

That Haliburton did so is even more impressive considering that players like Jeff Hornacek, Jamaal Tinsley and current Denver Nuggets point guard Monte Morris all passed through Ames since then.

"I didn't mean, like, this game, but I told (Heft) that I'd break it eventually," Haliburton said. "I was just trying to share the ball, and I guess it worked."

Talen Horton-Tucker scored 17 points and Terrence Lewis had 15 for Iowa State.

Richard Lee had 22 for the Jaguars (1-9).

THE BIG PICTURE

Iowa State: It was a weird tip-off time; 5 p.m. on a Sunday night, on the eve of finals week at Iowa State, so there wasn't a ton of energy in Hilton Coliseum. The ebullient Haliburton brought his own spark to the floor with a performance for the ages.

Southern: The Jaguars are expected to finish in the middle of the pack in the SWAC this season. They looked as though they might push for more than that this winter in stretches on Sunday.

THE NUMBERS

Thanks to Haliburton, Iowa State had a season high 28 assists on 40 made baskets. ...The 36-point margin of victory was Iowa State's largest in two years. ...Five of Shayok's six 20-point games have come this season. ...Forward Cam Lard, who fouled out in the loss at Iowa, picked up four fouls in just seven minutes. ...The Cyclones scored 50 points in the paint.

HE SAID IT - ABOUT LINDELL WIGGINTON AND SOLOMON YOUNG

Iowa State could get back a pair of injured starters in star guard Lindell Wigginton and forward Solomon Young for Saturday's game against Drake. The pair will be eased back into practice this week, and if all goes well they could be ready against the Bulldogs. "I'm not in a hurry to rush them back for Saturday because this is a long season, and we've got to make sure we don't have any setbacks. And they've got to get back in game shape," Prohm said.