Iowa falls in rivalry matchup at Iowa State, 84-78

AMES, Iowa (AP) Freshman Lindell Wigginton scored 24 points and Iowa State held off rival Iowa 84-78 on Thursday night, its eighth straight home win over the Hawkeyes.

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Nick Weiler-Babb had 15 points and 10 assists for the Cyclones (6-2), who've won six in a row after a 0-2 start.

Neither team could get separation for much of a game that featured 17 lead changes and seven ties. But Wigginton followed a corner 3 by Donovan Jackson with one of his own, putting Iowa State ahead 72-63 with 6:15 left – a lead the Cyclones would not relinquish.

Jack Nunge pulled the Hawkeyes within 79-76 on a jumper with 28 seconds to go. But that's as close as they would get, as free throws by Hans Brase and Weiler-Babb put the game out of reach.

Jordan Bohannon hit five 3s and had 19 points and Nunge added 16 for the Hawkeyes (4-6), who've dropped six of their last seven.

Iowa outrebounded the Cyclones 53-31, but it also committed 18 turnovers and shot a ghastly 1 of 8 from the free throw line.

Wigginton, a natural point guard playing at shooting guard with Weiler-Babb manning the point, has scored at least 20 points in three straight games – and Weiler-Babb has had at least 10 assists in four consecutive outings.

THE BIG PICTURE

Iowa: The young Hawkeyes finally looked like a team that could win some games in the Big Ten. They crashed the boards for 20 offensive rebounds, and Bohannon found his 3-point stroke. But Iowa hasn't won a game in Hilton Coliseum in 14 years for a reason. It's a tough place to play – especially when the crowd is as into the game as it was on Thursday.

Iowa State: The Cyclones still have a ways to go if they hope to compete for a decent record in Big 12 play. But they're getting better with every game, and the resilience Iowa State showed in beating back the pesky Hawks will come in handy this winter.

UP NEXT

Iowa plays Southern in Iowa City on Sunday.

Iowa State hosts Alcorn State on Sunday.