AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State’s Lindell Wigginton leapt into the lane to steal a pass, sprinted down the court and got fouled. He then casually flipped the ball underhanded toward the basket from 30 feet — and found the bottom of the net. It was that kind of night for Wigginton, who has transitioned from a starter on a losing team to a lethal weapon off the bench for a winning one. Wigginton scored a season-high 28 points and 20th-ranked Iowa State cruised past West Virginia 93-68 on Wednesday night, its fourth win in five games. Wigginton’s previous high for points this season was 18 on Saturday in a Top 25 road win at Mississippi, a sign that he’s finally 100 percent back from the foot injury that cost him most of the non-conference season. Marial Shayok scored 18 points for the surging Cyclones (16-5, 5-3 Big 12), who shot 26 of 39 inside the 3-point line and 29 of 33 from the free throw line.

With all the chaos erupting atop the Big 12 standings, the Cyclones have a shot at taking control of the league in the weeks ahead. The weather in Iowa was so cold that the entire state canceled mail service on Wednesday, and it showed at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones typically fill their gym, especially for league games, but attendance was sparse at the upper levels of the arena. It was hard to blame some fans for staying home, though, on a day when the wind chill reached as low as minus-49 in Ames. But when Iowa State needed its crowd down the stretch, Hilton was as loud as ever.
“Great crowd. Great energy. Obviously it was a little cold out there,” Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said.
UP NEXT
Iowa State hosts Texas on Saturday.