Feb. 28, 2006

AMES, Iowa (AP) - Will Blalock led six Cyclones in double figures with 20 points as Iowa State beat Missouri 85-78 Tuesday, its seventh straight home win over the Tigers.

Iowa State (16-12, 6-9 Big 12) has won two of three since a four-game losing streak buried its hopes for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

Missouri pulled within five twice in the final minutes, but Curtis Stinson's layup and Jiri Hubalek's dunk with 1:03 left put the game out of reach.

The Cyclones built a 10-point lead midway through the second half at the 3-point line. Iowa State hit five 3s in a four-minute stretch - including three from Will Blalock - to jump ahead 60-50 with 8:56 left.

Thomas Gardner scored 21 points and Jimmy McKinney added 19 for Missouri (11-15, 4-11), which lost for the 10th time in 11 games.

The Tigers erased a six-point halftime deficit with a 15-3 run to open the second half, capped by a 3-pointer from McKinney and a putback by Kevin Young.

Missouri shot 48 percent in the first half, but Blalock followed a 3-pointer with an inside basket during a 9-0 run that helped put Iowa State ahead 35-29 at the break.

Neither team pulled away in the opening half, which included seven ties and six lead changes.

Stinson, a junior and the Big 12's second leading scorer, ceded his starting spot to senior John Neal, who was playing in his final regular season home game.

Iowa State attempted a school-record 32 3-pointers, connecting on 11. Jiri Hubalek scored 15 points, one shy of his career high, and Neal added a career-high 14.