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AMES, Iowa (Ticker) -- Jake Sullivan scored 23 points and Tim Barnes added 21 and seven rebounds to pace Iowa State to a 76-65 victory over Wichita State in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament.
Barnes drained four 3-pointers in a decisive 19-5 second half run. With the Cyclones trailing, 40-35, Barnes sank consecutive 3-pointers. After each team hit a basket, Barnes nailed two more to give Iowa State a 49-42 advantage.
The Cyclones (17-13) continued to pull away. Marcus Jefferson's bucket capped the burst for a 56-45 advantage with 8:30 to play.
Wichita State drew withing 67-61 on a putback by freshman Paul Miller with 1:16 left. But Barnes had a steal and layup with 42 seconds left and Iowa State converted 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch.
Jefferson scored 13 points and Jackson Vroman added 10 for the Cyclones, who were making their first NIT appearance since 1984.
Miller scored 18 points, Fridge Holman netted 13 and Randy Burns contributed 12 and 10 rebounds for the Shockers (18-12), who in 1960 won the only other meeting between these schools.
Wichita State shot 44 percent (24-of-54) from the floor while Iowa State hit at a 45 percent clip (25-of-56). The major difference was at the 3-point line, where the Cyclones were 10-of-23 while the Shockers shot 3-of-13.
The win sets the stage for a regional battle with Iowa in the first round.
The Shockers twice led by as many as seven points in the first half. The final occasion came at 29-22 on Miller's basket with 4:43 left.
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