Iowa State cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) lays the ball around Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils’ guard Kendal Parker (12) during first half in the NCAA men’s basketball home opening at Hilton Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES — Tamin Lipsey sank the fastbreak layup, then hit the deck.
Iowa State’s all-Big 12 point guard had been knocked into the hoop’s stanchion, but he popped up, saw he’d scored and — despite a slight wince of pain and no foul call from the officials — felt good about the painful two-point conversion.
“It’s a physical game, so I’m not going to ask for any calls,” said Lipsey, who scored 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the Cyclones’ 83-44 season-opening rout of Mississippi Valley State Monday at Hilton Coliseum. “We play physical on our end (so) I went up (and) at least I got the two points. That’s the thing that matters, so I was able to get up and get back on defense.”
ISU snared 16 steals from the Delta Devils, who won one game last season and is ranked last in the country by KenPom. Lipsey and fellow senior guard Keshon Gilbert — who scored a game-high 17 points — poked away three steals apiece. Transfer forward Joshua Jefferson led the Cyclones with four steals, but also shined in a variety of areas with 10 points and a team-high-tying six rebounds.
Jefferson and fellow transfer forward Dishon Jackson both started, and shot a combined 7 of 10 from the field while teaming up for 19 points and 12 rebounds.
“I think we mesh really well together,” Jefferson said. “We play off each other really good. We have a good relationship off the court so I think it just makes it very smooth when we get on the floor. We know how each other likes to play, so I think we’ll just continue to get better.”
Mississippi Valley State hung around early, trailing just 19-13 before ISU erupted with a 23-2 run that helped create a 44-21 halftime lead. The Cyclones gave up an uncharacteristic 16 points off turnovers while scoring 26 points off Delta Devils miscues, and struggled from 3-point range, sinking just 5-for-21 of their long range shots (23.8 percent).
“We got the win,” ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “(There are) a lot of things to work on. Offensively, we’ve practiced great with some rhythm and some flow, but it felt like tonight the ball didn’t move as well as it needed to. It kind of got stuck at times. So I think offensively we’ve got to be more intentional about moving it.”
Sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic started all 37 games last season, but served as the the sixth man on Monday. He drilled his first 3-pointer, missed the next five, then connected again from beyond the arc. He finished with 10 points on 4-for-9 shooting — but perhaps most importantly, grabbed five rebounds in 24 minutes.
“(That’s) important for us and he’s been committed to it,” Otzelberger said of the 6-8 Momcilovic, who averaged 3.1 rebounds per game as a freshman. “It’s something where he can bring that physicality defensively at his size. He’s added a lot of strength this offseason. He’s put the time in, so proud of him for how he went out and the efforts he made on the boards, and it’s something we’ll continue to count on him for, because it was great.”
As for Lipsey — who underwent offseason surgery on his shoulder — went to the floor eagerly and with regularity on Monday. That won’t change, nor should it. His trademark toughness helped the Cyclones reach the Sweet 16 last season and he’ll gladly incur plenty of bumps and bruises as his team seeks to mount another deep run this March.
“(He’s) amazing with the effort that he gives,” Otzelberger said. “The extra effort plays, how he flies around and puts his body on the line for his teammates, our program — obviously that certainly showed up. He made a lot of those plays tonight.”
