Iowa State men’s basketball countdown: Naz Long hits eight from downtown vs UNC-Wilmington

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Turns out Naz Long was giving Iowa State fans a preview of what was to come in the season opener against UNC Wilmington when he put on a clinic from downtown.

Long nailed not one, not two, not three, but eight 3-pointers out of 11 attempts from the perimeter as the Cyclones coasted in a 95-62 victory. The team held a 52-22 lead at halftime.

With the early injury with Melvin Ejim, Long received the opportunity to start in the game and he made the most of it. The sophomore was red-hot and while he couldn’t duplicate the production, he was still a bomber from downtown in the big games against Michigan, Auburn, Iowa, and others down the stretch.

It was the first of many surprises in the college basketball season. And it won’t be the last time you’ll see the specialist on the countdown.

Iowa State men’s basketball top 15 moments of 2013-14

15. DeAndre Kane’s perimeter shooting en route to Diamond Head Classic title

14. Monte Morris emerges, nearly hits double-double against Auburn

13. Cyclones hold on to win after blowing 18-point lead vs. Texas Tech

12. Redemption at Hilton Coliseum after getting blown out at West Virginia

11. 99 points against Northern Illinois in remembrance of Johnny Orr

10. Daniel Edozie’s block on BYU’s Tyler Haws to preserve Iowa State’s first road win

9. Iowa State heads to the Sweet 16 after comeback over North Carolina

8. Cyclones finally take down Kansas at the Big 12 Championship

7. Georges Niang hits go-ahead basket to beat Iowa Hawkeyes

6. Melvin Ejim makes miraculous return vs Michigan, leads Cyclones to huge win

5. Naz Long drills first 3-pointer in weeks to force 3OTs against Oklahoma State

4. Long bombs UNC-Wilmington with eight 3-pointers

3-1. ???