Instant Takeaways from No. 18 Iowa State's 83-57 Win Over Southern Miss

Just four days removed from an 80-76 season-opening loss to Memphis, the No. 18 Iowa State Cyclones returned home Friday night to take on Southern Miss. Now back in Ames, the Cyclones found their footing, coming away with this one, 83-57 in the home opener at Hilton Coliseum on Friday. 

Here are three takeaways from the win. 

Two key contributors emerged early for the Cyclones: Tamin Lipsey, as expected, and Northwestern transfer Tre Singleton. Both made their presence known in the opening 10 minutes, knocking down three shots a piece, but all eyes were on Singleton shortly after.

Singleton exploded at the end of the first half, ending the opening 20 minutes with 19 points, eight more than his point total following Monday's loss. He went on to finish the game 10-17 with 28 points.

Both Singleton and Jaquan Johnson ended the game in double figures, the only two reaching that mark in Friday's win.

Against a team like the Golden Eagles, that's something you might come to expect. If more of that's to come in the future, greener pastures are ahead.

There was an obvious discrepancy in Iowa State's perimeter shooting on Monday night against Memphis, with the Cyclones connecting on just 20% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Against the Golden Eagles, however, the emphasis appeared to shift away from the perimeter and toward creating opportunities in the midrange.

Iowa State attempted just two three-point shots in the first half, one coming from Leon Bond III with 11:44 remaining. The second came from Singleton towards the end of the half. 

The game ended with the Cyclones knocking down 52% from the floor with four threes, closing the game out over 30% from distance for the first time all year.

And sure, bringing up the absence of a true perimeter shooter on this year's roster might sound like beating a dead horse. But if Monday's performance showed anything, it's that this team doesn't necessarily need to follow last season's blueprint to find success. 

Non-conference games tend to follow a script this early in the season: close matchups through the first 10-15 minutes of action, followed by complete dominance in the closing stages and into the second half. This game was no different. 

It wasn't all bad, though. The Golden Eagles put together a 7-0 run halfway through the second, courtesy of two made shots and an and-1 from Mike Montano.

Golden Eagles' guard Anthony Igiede led the team in scoring with 13 points, with Southern Miss only connecting on fewer than 40% of shots from the floor, but still shooting a positive 6-17 from three-point range. 

The Golden Eagles also fell short on the boards, ending the game with 28 rebounds, 10 fewer than the Cyclones. 

The Cyclones return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 10 for a matchup against Southern. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. from Hilton Coliseum.