New Iowa State Head Men’s Basketball Coach TJ Otzelberger opened up his tenure with an 84-73 win over Kennesaw State on Tuesday night at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones led by 8 at the intermission and built the lead to as much as 17 in the second half. The Owls didn’t go quietly away though. chipping the lead to 6 multiple times down the stretch but Iowa State finished strong for the win.

Gabe Kalscheur finished as the Cyclones scoring leader with 19 on the night. Izaiah Brockington finished with 18 points and rebounds. Freshman guard Tyrese Hunter notched 11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals.

Kennesaw State was led by 21 points from junior guard Terrell Burden and Chris Youngblood added 16. The Owls now travel to Omaha to face Creighton on Thursday.

Next up for Iowa State is a home game against Oregon State on Friday at 7:00 p.m.