Even for a season opener in the times of COVID, Iowa State’s first game of the season did not start smoothly at all, falling to a quick 10-0 deficit early on. Slowly but surely, the Cyclones closed the gap in the first half through some solid play from a gaggle of newcomers, most notably Darlinstone Dubar and Jaden Walker, the former of which played 22 minutes. Arkansas-Pine Bluff took a 37-34 lead into halftime.
The second half was much better as Tyler Harris and his outside shooting helped pull the good guys in front before Jalen Coleman-Lands and the rest of the squad started heating up a bit.