Cyclones set sights on Kangaroos

Nov 25, 2013 - 3:45 PM Ames, IA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Iowa State Cyclones will finish off their November schedule on Monday when they host the UMKC Kangaroos in non- conference action at the Hilton Coliseum.

The Kangaroos will be hoping to build off their first win of the year. UMKC was once again on the road with Tennessee-Martin in its last outing. The Kangaroos were able to notch a victory in the contest with a 79-67 triumph.

As for Iowa State, there has not been all that much to complain about this year. The Cyclones have won all four of their games to begin the year, including a stunning 77-70 win over Michigan that propelled them into the national rankings. Iowa State's most recent victory was also impressive, as it squeaked out a 90-88 win on the road over BYU. The Cyclones will be off until next Monday, when they face Auburn in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

This is the second all-time meeting and second in as many years between these programs. Iowa State won last year's matchup with an easy 76-61 road victory.

UMKC was the more efficient team against Tennessee-Martin. Although they turned the ball over 21 times, the Kangaroos made up for their mistakes by assisting on 22 of their 29 field goals, while netting 58 percent of their shots from the field.

The scoring touch was a welcome sight for UMKC, which is suffering from a scoring margin of more than 12 points this season. That has more to do with their struggles on defense, as the Kangaroos are allowing teams to score at an 86.2 points per game rate. Martez Harrison (15.8 ppg) is the leading scorer for the Kangaroos and he has also collected a team-high in steals. However Harrison has coughed the ball up 18 times himself. In the win over Tennessee- Martin, Harrison finished with 20 points. Fred Chatmon (12.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Trinity Hall (11.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg) are two sturdy contributors in the frontcourt.

With three seconds remaining, Daniel Edozie blocked a shot from BYU's Tyler Haws to wrap up the Cyclones' victory over the Cougars. DeAndre Kane and Melvin Ejim each scored 21 points in the contest, but missed the final minute, as Ejim fouled out and Kane was ejected.

Luckily for the Cyclones there are plenty of options when it comes to scoring on the roster. With five different players averaging in double figures, the Cyclones are netting 85.5 points per game, while connecting on 51 percent of their shots. The offensive production has led to a solid scoring differential (+18.8). Ejim (21.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg) missed the first two games of the year but has posted 20-point efforts in back-to-back games since returning. Kane (15.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 5.0 apg) is an all-around contributor that can score, rebound and pass. Georges Niang (14.3 ppg), Naz Long (13 ppg) and Dustin Hogue (10.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg) can also fill up the basket.