COLLEGE STATION-Iowa State forward Royce White’s triple double paced the Cyclones to a 74-50 win over Texas A&M Saturday afternoon before 6,450 fans at Reed Arena.
White, who scored 10 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and dished out 10 assists, posted only the fifth triple-double in a conference game in Big 12 history and the first since 2006. It was the 12th triple-double all-time recorded by a Big 12 player.
Ray Turner paced the Aggies (9-5, 0-2) on the afternoon, scoring 13 points and added 12 rebounds.
The Cyclones (12-3, 2-0), who won their seventh in a row, jumped out to a big lead in the first half thanks to a hot shooting touch. ISU, which missed five of its first six attempts, then connected on eight of its next 10 shots to build a 22-9 lead with just over nine minutes left in the half.
A&M was able to pull within eight on the strength of a Ray Turner 3-point play and a block which led to a bucket, but the visitors closed the half on a 20-9 run to take a 42-23 lead into the locker room.
The Aggies were able to cut the deficit to 17 with 14 minutes to play but would get no closer.
Four other Cyclones scored in double figures, led by Melvin Ejim’s game-high 15. Elston Turner added 11 and Dash Harris 10 for Texas A&M.
Aggie senior David Loubeau reached a milestone with 4 rebounds on the day, becoming just the 16th player in school history to record 1,000 career points and grab 500 boards.
Texas A&M returns to action on Wednesday when the Aggies head to Austin to battle Texas (10-4, 0-1). Tipoff at the Frank Erwin Center is set for 8 p.m. (CT) and the game will air nationally on ESPN2.