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AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State will spend the next two months playing in one the toughest leagues in the country.The Cyclones wont be able to struggle for more than a half like they did on Tuesday and expect to compete in the Big 12.Senior Matt Thomas scored a career-high 23 points to lead Iowa State past Mississippi Valley State 88-60, helping the Cyclones post back-to-back wins for the first time in a month.Naz Mitrou-Long had 19 points and Monte Morris scored 13 for the Cyclones (8-3), who shot 50 percent from 3-point range and finished on a 32-11 run.But Iowa State, plagued by turnovers, let winless Mississippi Valley State (0-12) rip off a 16-3 run in the first half and trailed the winless Delta Devils 25-24 at one point. The Cyclones also let MVSU grab 13 offensive rebounds.We had good stretches. We had bad stretches, said Mitrou-Long, who has scored 56 points in his last two games after struggling earlier this season. We cant get beat on the offensive glass.The Cyclones eventually overwhelmed MVSU as expected, jumping ahead 78-53 on a Thomas layup with just over six minutes left.Isaac Williams and Darrell Riley each scored 18 for the Delta Devils. They were outrebounded 43-28.Weve got to just get our tenacity and our swagger back on defense, Prohm said.BIG PICTUREIowa State: The Cyclones non-conference record is just eighth-best in the Big 12, which entered Tuesday with half of its members at 10-1 or better. Iowa State is much more likely to finish in the middle of the league than at the top of it -- but the Cyclones at least have a lot more depth than it did in 2015-16. Still, letting one of the nations worst teams hang around until well into the second half isnt a good look for the Cyclones.Mississippi Valley State: The Delta Devils open the season with 14 straight road games. But theyll stay in central Iowa to face Drake on Thursday -- a game they can win. The Bulldogs are 1-10.CARELESSIowa State was extremely sloppy with the ball in the first half, committing 10 turnovers -- its season average -- in the first 16:35. The Delta Devils turned those mistakes into 15 points, and thats the main reason they stayed competitive for as long as they did. The Cyclones finished with 15 turnovers.GOING YOUNGIowa States senior centers, Darrell Bowie (five points, two rebounds) and Merrill Holden (three points) struggled again, which might mean freshman Solomon Youngs will soon go up. The 6-foot-8, 240-pound Young has had issues with foul trouble early in his career. But Young had eight points and seven rebounds in just 15 minutes Tuesday.HE SAID ITWhen we play the way we have to play, because we are small, we do have to have a little nastiness to us. When we do that, I think the non-conference schedule has proven that we can play with anyone in the country, Prohm said. You wish the one game here (or there) you didnt drop, but its all about finishing games.UP NEXTIowa State opens Big 12 play on Dec. 30 when it hosts Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are 10-1, but their schedule has been far from taxing.MVSU will travel just 35 miles south to face Drake Thursday.---More college basketball at www.collegebasketball.ap.org Don Ohl Jersey ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. Bailey Howell Jersey . PAUL, Minn. https://www.cheapwizardsonline.com/329k-charles-jones-jersey-wizards.html . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. Fake Wizards Jerseys . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Davis Bertans Jersey . "It was nerve-wracking, but we pulled through," said Collaros, who threw four touchdown passes to lead the Toronto Argonauts (8-4) to a 33-27 win over the Calgary Stampeders (9-3) in front of 28,781 fans at McMahon Stadium. The Midas touch Mal Meninga used on Queensland will now help bring a fractured Kangaroos together, Test prop Matt Scott says.There are fears that Australia will implode at the end-of-year Four Nations tournament in the UK after Maroons veteran Corey Parker admitted State of Origin tensions were at an all-time low.Queensland are still seething after NSW skipper Paul Gallen turned his back on Cameron Smith and led the Blues away as the Maroons captain was receiving the Origin trophy during the post-game three ceremony at ANZ Stadium last week.Scott admitted he would have preferred the Origin sledging remained on the field but believed the Kangaroos would unite under Meninga.Queensland regrouped to win a record eight straight Origin series - and nine in 10 years overall - under Meninga.Scott was confident Meninga - who took over the national reins this year - would weave his magic again for Australia at the Four Nations.Mal is really big on culture and what it means to represent your country - coming into the side he has really sttarted to instill that, Scott said.ddddddddddddIts always tough bringing in an Aussie team and getting it to gel.But there will still be guys there who have been playing together for a long time and when we wear that green and gold we are very passionate about our country.We are professionals.Scott believed Origin team relations could be salvaged.Banter has always been part of Origin. I would prefer to see it stay on the field but its all part of the build-up and hype, he said.Origin has been going for more than 30 years now.Origin has had bigger rivalries than the last couple of weeks.I think it is pretty tame compared to some years.Scott said he had already buried the hatchet with Blues forward and North Queensland front-row partner James Tamou, who leaves for NRL rivals Penrith next year.When we are back in Cowboys colours we are teammates, he said.I would like to finish my partnership on a high. ' ' '