Mar 21, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Keshon Gilbert (10) controls the ball against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the second half in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
OMAHA, Neb. — Keshon Gilbert delivered the lob and leaped in the air, churning his legs furiously and joyfully as if riding a bike.
The result — Iowa State teammate Hason Ward’s fifth dunk of the game early in the second half — capped a 12-0 run that essentially sealed the second-seeded Cyclones’ 82-65 first-round NCAA tournament win Thursday over 15th-seeded South Dakota State.
“It was just fun out there,” said Gilbert, who scored 15 points, dished out five assists and snatched away a game-high three steals. “That’s my boy, (Ward). Just seeing how he played tonight, it made me happy, so being able to get that pass to him, it meant a lot to me. The moment took over at that point.”
The plucky Jackrabbits (22-13) trailed by just four points, at 42-38, before ISU (28-7) went on that 12-0 splurge en route to the runaway victory.
“I’m pretty sure they had a little confidence when it was cut to four; they were talking a little bit more than they did in the first half,” Gilbert said. “But when we got onto the run they got a little quiet.”
Milan Momcilovic led the Cyclones with 19 points, Tamin Lipsey added 17 points, Curtis Jones had 11 and Ward rammed through 10 on his five dunks. Three of those flushes came in roughly a minute and a half as ISU raced to an early 19-5 lead, but South Dakota State didn’t wilt and trimmed its halftime deficit to just seven, at 40-33.
“The game got close and we didn’t (veer) away from what we do,” said senior forward Robert Jones, who has blocked at least one shot in four straight games for just the second time in his Cyclone career. “We worked. We didn’t get scared. Didn’t shy away. We just continued to stay after it and continued to be us.”
ISU shot a torrid 58 percent overall and 47.3 percent from 3-point range. Momcilovic, Lipsey and Curtis Jones each drained three long-range baskets, while Gilbert and reserve guard Jackson Paveletzke both went 1-for-1 from beyond the arc. Even walk-on Conrad Hawley — the Cyclones’ so-called “CEO,” which is short for “chief energy officer” — positively impacted the stat sheet, snaring a steal in the final seconds as the several thousand Cyclone fans who packed the CHI Health Center Arena rejoiced.
“They have fun doing the hard work together because you’ve gotta do that work,” ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger said of his team, which will play the winner of Thursday’s late game between seventh-seeded Washington State and 10th-seeded Drake. “We’re not a team that gets to this point in the year and stops practicing, or changes what we do. We continue doing it. Certainly there’s got to be the element where they’re enjoying it, where they have a smile on their face, but it’s hard work, and we’re gonna be the team really tries to play harder and outwork opponents, and you’re gonna have to do that hard work every single day.”
The pain associated with that arduous work eventually translates into pleasure. For Gilbert, for Ward — for every Cyclone player savoring every moment of “the Big Dance.”
“We’re just out there trying to have fun playing with each other,” Ward said. “We’ve got a lot of chemistry, a lot of trust in each other, so we’re just out there having fun and trying to win games.”
That’s the joyful state Gilbert and his teammates are residing in as they seek to make a deep run in the tournament. The former UNLV transfer’s fully enjoying the game of basketball again and shows it with every move, shot, and lob he makes.
“A lot of people forget that this is supposed to be fun,” Gilbert said. “So we’re having fun with it. Of course, we want to win, but I’m just trying to have fun. I wasn’t having fun last year, so I’m trying to have as much fun as I can right now.”
