Scott Christopherson and Diante Garrett each scored 16 points, and Iowa State rode a hot start to defeat Texas Southern 65-54 on Sunday in Ames, Iowa.

On a day where they hit just 22-of-60 shots from the field (36.7 percent), the Cyclones (9-2) raced to a 14-2 lead in the game’s first six minutes, then weathered one sustained surge from the Tigers late in the first half.

Back-to-back Jamie Vanderbeken 3-pointers capped the game-opening surge from Iowa State, the last one with 14:02 left making it 14-2. Texas Southern (1-7) whittled the lead down to one point, 24-23, on Nico Norris’ 3-point jumper with 4:21 to go in the first half.

The Cyclones rebuilt the advantage with an 8-1 spurt to close the first half, leading 32-24 at halftime. Iowa State would lead by as many as 17 in the second half to win its third straight game.

Christopherson hit 4-of-12 3-point attempts. Vanderbeken finished with 14 points and five blocked shots. Darlon Anderson pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.

Travele Jones scored a game-high 22 points for Texas Southern, which lost its fourth in a row.

Iowa State plays host to Dartmouth next Sunday. Texas Southern plays host to Texas State on Thursday.