Ames, Iowa ? Jackson Vroman had just finished one game and already was looking forward to the next, less than 24 hours away.

Vroman had 17 points and 11 rebounds and four teammates scored in double figures, sending Iowa State past Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, 78-51, Friday night in the first round of the Cyclone Challenge.

The Cyclones (3-0) improved to 16-1 in their own tournament and will play Idaho State tonight. Idaho State advanced with a 51-47 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock.

“I enjoy playing in games,” Vroman said. “The more games the better.”

Tonight’s game will be interesting for Vroman because one of his teammates at Snow Junior College, Jeff Gardner, is Idaho State’s starting point guard. Idaho State forward Scott Henry played against Vroman and Gardner in junior college.

“It’ll be fun,” Vroman said. “I haven’t played against Jeff since ’99 (in high school), other than in practice.”

Iowa State broke open Saturday night’s game with a 27-6 run that spanned the two halves. That put the Cyclones up by 28 and they led by as many as 31 late.

Jared Homan added 14 points for Iowa State, Jake Sullivan and Curtis Stinson scored 13 each and Marcus Jefferson had 10. Coach Wayne Morgan liked that balance.

“The way we play, we should be balanced,” Morgan said. “We would like to have four or five players in double figures each night. If you can do that, you can have success because you’re coming at people from different areas.”

The Cyclones certainly did that when they pulled away. Six different players scored during the burst, which came after IPFW (0-5) pulled to 33-26 on Ric Wyand’s three-pointer with 2:50 left in the first half.

Sullivan hit two jumpers to key an 8-1 run that closed the half, making it 41-27. The Cyclones then outscored IPFW 19-5 to open the second half, stretching the lead to 60-32. Stinson finished that run with seven straight points — a three-pointer and two layups in transition.

A 6-foot-2 freshman, Stinson shot 6-for-9 and added six rebounds and five assists. Vroman was 7-for-9 from the field and had four assists.

“We take our time on offense and get good shots,” Stinson said. “That’s the only way we can have success.”

Iowa State also has scored well in transition in its first three games. The Cyclones constantly beat IPFW down the floor to get layups or draw fouls. They shot 52.7 percent for the game and outrebounded the Mastodons 45-36.

“That’s the way you like to play because a lot of teams don’t get back on defense,” Stinson said.