AMES, Iowa (AP) — The next time Iowa State plays at home it’ll be against Kansas — the favorite to win yet another Big 12 title. The Cyclones showed on Friday night that they might be healthy enough to hang with the top-ranked Jayhawks by then.

Marial Shayok scored 23 points in just 22 minutes, Lindell Wigginton had 15 points after missing the previous 10 games with a strained foot and Iowa State rolled past Eastern Illinois 101-53. Michael Jacobson added 15 points the Cyclones (10-2). They returned both Wigginton and forward Solomon Young (strained groin) and played as a fully healthy team for the first time in their final tuneup before league play.

This one was essentially a scrimmage for Iowa State, as coach Steve Prohm tinkered with his lineup in an effort to see what combinations might work in conference play. It certainly didn’t matter who was on the floor for the Cyclones. They pushed a 20-point halftime lead to 65-33 after Talen Horton-Tucker’s block set up Shayok for a corner 3-pointer and a 65-33 lead.

Iowa State rolled off a 19-0 run, its best of the season, to help push its lead to 40 points early in the second half. Young finished with three points and four boards in 10 minutes. Young had been out all season, and Wigginton hadn’t suited up since hurting his foot late in the opener. The plan was to get each of them into a game situation — without exacerbating those injuries — ahead of Big 12 play. Wigginton showed his rust, committing three fouls in the first half alone. But Young and Wigginton teamed up in the second half, with Wigginton hooking up with Young for a rare 3.
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Iowa State opens conference play at Oklahoma State on Jan. 2