AMES, Iowa (AP) — Donovan Jackson scored 25 points, including a career-high seven 3s, Cameron Lard had 15 points with 11 rebounds and Iowa State held off Alcorn State 78-58 on Sunday for its seventh straight win. Lindell Wigginton scored 16 points for the Cyclones (7-2), who were forced to rally from an early 9-point deficit against arguably the worst team on their schedule. The Cyclones, fresh off an emotional home win over rival Iowa, were sluggish — to say the least — from the opening tip. Alcorn State (2-8) took advantage, knocking down four of their first five tries from 3-point range for a 14-5 lead.

Though Iowa State eventually grabbed a slim lead, Dante Sterling’s 4-point play with 55.4 seconds left in the first half helped the Braves stay within 33-32 by the break. Iowa State opened the second half on a 15-3 run, highlighted by 3s from Jackson and Wigginton, to push its lead to 48-35 with 15:33 left. The Cyclones held a comfortable lead for the rest of the game, outscoring the overwhelmed Braves 45-26 in the second half. Devon Brewer scored 15 points for Alcorn State.

This edition of the Cyclones isn’t good enough to play unfocused basketball and expect to win — and never was that more evident than on Sunday. Creighton beat this same Alcorn State team by 37, and UNI beat the Braves by 28. Up next: Iowa State and Northern Iowa will square off on Saturday in Des Moines.