Mar 2, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights guard Shemarri Allen (2) shoots the ball against Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) during the second half at Addition Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
Iowa State’s latest comeback started where it usually does.
With a stop.
The No. 8 Cyclones trailed UCF, 50-49, with 3:05 remaining Saturday in Orlando, but forced the Knights to miss a 3-pointer. Curtis Jones rebounded the ball, was fouled, and calmly sank two free throws.
That small spark — rooted in a simple stop — led to a decisive 11-0 run that propelled ISU (23-6, 12-4 Big 12) to a gritty 60-52 triumph at Addition Financial Arena.
“We did a good job of responding to that adversity and getting stops when we needed to, especially in the (final) minutes,” Cyclone senior forward Tre King said on the Cyclone Radio Network after the game.
King led ISU with 16 points on 7 of 11 field goal shooting. Milan Momcilovic added 11 points and matched foul trouble-plagued point guard Tamin Lipsey with four assists.
“I’m still gaining confidence,” Momcilovic said. “Getting better out there every single game. I think here towards the end of the season I’m still gonna get a lot better.”
The Cyclones forced 22 UCF turnovers, but coughed up 17 of their own. Both teams shot 33 percent from the field in a grinding second half, but ISU made the shots it needed to down the stretch to notch its 10th win in the last 12 games.
“A lot of teams at this time of year get a little too excited and end up dropping games,” King said. “That’s one thing we’ve really talked about, especially these past two in a half, three weeks, not being that team to let one slip away and losing one we’re not supposed to, so credit to our guys for just staying focused and staying in the moment.”
Jones went 4-for-4 from the line during the Cyclones’ last-gasp run. Momcilovic added a short jumper and Keshon Gilbert may have made the play of the game by scraping away a steal and finishing with a layup and free throw to give ISU a 56-50 lead with 1:53 remaining. The Knights (15-13, 6-10) didn’t score from the field in the final 5:08 and went a dismal 1-for-19 from the 3-point line.
“We practice what we call ‘winning time,’ just finding a way to get stops late in the game,” Cyclone head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We’ve learned our lesson, obviously, earlier in the year when we didn’t focus on doing that. Credit goes to our guys for locking in the last five minutes or so and doing what we needed to do to get a stop — and not only a stop, but to finish the play on the glass because they’re such a great rebounding team. You could see our confidence going (up) a little bit when we put the stops together.”
The Cyclones return home to Hilton Coliseum to face BYU on Wednesday at 7 p.m. It’s ISU’s senior night — and the last home game for program mainstays such as King, Robert Jones, and Hason Ward.
“I know it will be an unbelievable atmosphere,” said Otzelberger, whose team is 17-0 this season at Hilton. “It’s a joy to honor these guys who play Cyclone basketball with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their effort. So excited to get back before the fan base. Excited to have this opportunity for our guys and can’t wait for that opportunity come Wednesday.”
