Tamin Lipsey passes the ball over his head to Keshon Gilbert during Iowa State’s 107-56 win over Prairie View A&M. Photo Courtesy Iowa State Athletics Communications // Luke Lu
AMES — Tamin Lipsey showed out yet again.
The sophomore point guard that grew up in Iowa State’s backyard set the program’s single-game steal record on Sunday with eight steals in his team’s 107-56 win over Prairie View A&M.
“It feels good — I wouldn’t be able to do it without the position that my teammates put me in,” Lipsey said. “Being in the right place at the right time, being active with the ball pressure and all of the things we preach… it worked out.”
Along with his record-breaking steals number, Lipsey gave Iowa State 19 points, five assists, and four rebounds with only three of the team’s 25 turnovers in the game.
Lipsey eclipsed a fellow Ames native in Fred Hoiberg to claim his stake at the steals record, and coach T.J. Otzelberger is confident that there will be more to come.
“What I can say, is Tamin having eight steals and breaking the record that may or may not — one of the guys with seven may have went to his same high school and be a personal friend of mine, but I think Tamin’s going to be very stubborn with all those records along those lines, and he’s gonna keep breaking them,” Otzelberger said. “So it’s great to see him set the tone for us defensively that way.
While Lipsey was able to shine in multiple areas again on Sunday, his performance in this game and throughout the season are a testament to his role on the team.
Lipsey is clearly Iowa State’s most important player.
The Cyclones will rely on his consistency, which was undoubtedly built up over the off-season, to improve on his overall skillset as a point guard. He’s scored in double figures in nine of the team’s 10 games this year.
“He’s just got great instincts,” Otzelberger said. “He’s got a great nose for the basketball. He’s ahead of plays offensively and defensively, and he just reads things. He’s so smart. He has such great instincts. We’ll continue to see over his career, him do things that are very uncommon.”
One of the more impressive plays of Lipsey’s career came in the first half of Sunday’s game, when he stood near the halfcourt line in preparation to take a charge.
The Prairie View A&M player lost the ball trying to avoid the screen, which led Lipsey to dive on the floor, secure the ball, and throw it backwards over his head to a streaking Keshon Gilbert for the bucket.
“Steals can create a lot of momentum,” Lipsey said. “It’s hard for the other team to adjust. You steal the ball from them and they don’t know what to think. So it’s hard for them to transition when they get the ball back. (I was able to) get my eyes up quick and look for teammates.”
Iowa State will return to the court in exactly one week to face off with Florida A&M at 5:00 p.m. (ESPN+) Sunday, December 17 at Hilton Coliseum.
