Iowa City, Iowa ? Adam Haluska saw the red in the Iowa State uniform he once wore and went off.

Haluska scored 20 points against his former team, hitting four three-pointers, and No. 17 Iowa fended off a late run by the Cyclones for a 70-63 victory Friday night.

It was Haluska’s first appearance against Iowa State, where he started as a freshman in the 2002-03 season, and it was memorable. He made five of his first six shots to help the Hawkeyes (8-1) jump in front early, and they never trailed.

“I was just really focused,” Haluska said. “I tried to relax out there as much as possible and not worry about outside distractions.”

The Cyclones almost spoiled things for their former player, however. Down by 11 midway through the second half, Iowa State (4-2) rallied behind Jared Homan and Will Blalock and drew to 61-60 on Homan’s two free throws with 2:06 remaining.

But Iowa’s Greg Brunner hit a shot down low, and the Hawkeyes (8-1) made enough free throws in the final minute to hold on.

“With the stretch we’ve had, I couldn’t be more proud of a team playing two in-state teams that really fight you,” said Iowa coach Steve Alford, whose team beat Northern Iowa, 76-73, Tuesday night. “They have done everything we’ve asked them to do. This was a hard-fought game, and they just hung in there and found a way to get it done.”

Haluska, who sat out last season after transferring, scored 10 points in the first 91/2 minutes and finished 7-for-13 from the field, including 4-for-8 on three-pointers.

Iowa State's Jared Homan, left, pulls down a rebound in front of Iowa's Erek Hansen in the Hawkeyes' 70-63 victory. ISU rallied late, but Iowa held on for the victory Friday in Iowa City, Iowa.

When he fouled out with 21 seconds left, Iowa fans directed chants of “Thanks for Adam” to the Cyclones.

Pierre Pierce added 15 points for Iowa, Jeff Horner scored 12, and Brunner had 11 to go with 13 rebounds.

Homan led Iowa State with a career-high 25 points, and he grabbed 11 rebounds. Blalock scored 15 and combined with Homan for 16 of the Cyclones’ final 18 points.

No. 5 Oklahoma State 86, UAB 73

Stillwater, Okla. — John Lucas III scored nine of his 18 points in a 14-0 second-half run to lead Oklahoma State past UAB. Joey Graham had 20 points for the Cowboys. Donell Taylor scored 17 points for Alabama-Birmingham (4-1), which controlled the tempo for much of the game with full-court pressure that forced the Cowboys to take quick and often ill-advised shots.