NCAA Tournament: No. 13 Iona Falls to No. 4 Iowa State 94-81

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The NCAA Tournament tipped of in Denver, Colorado on Thursday with the Iowa State Cyclones defeating the Iona Gaels 94-81

Iowa State shot a remarkable 50 percent from the field for the game including an 11-for-23 shooting performance by Georges Niang who finished with 28 points. The senior guard has scored in double figures in 113 of 136 career games, including 42 in a row dating back to February 2015.

“The guys were telling me to stay confident, you’ve been knocking those shots down all year,” Niang said. ”That’s what I did, tried to get the ball to the front of the rim. I think coach drew up a couple plays that helped me get there. Once I got a rhythm going, I felt like there was no turning back.”

Monte Morris also had 20 points and eight assists for the Cyclones.

The Gaels were led by A.J. English who had 28 points and seven rebounds to go with six assist in the season finale. Jordan Washington was also 10-for-17 from the field tallying 26 points in the loss.

The Gaels were noticeably smaller than the Cyclones and it certainly effected Iona defensively.

“Yes, of course,” Morris said. “They shot 50% from the field, too. That helped them a lot, too. They have great players. They come from a great conference.”

The Gaels finished the season at 22-10, while Iowa State will advance and take on the winner of  Purdue and Little Rock on Saturday.