Nov 25, 2024; Lahaina, Hawaii, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger reacts to play as his team takes on the Auburn Tigers during the first half an NCAA college basketball game at Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images
All of Iowa State’s so-called “six starters” scored in double figures.
Sharpshooting forward Milan Momcilovic notched a career-high 24 points.
And the No. 5 Cyclones left the stacked Maui Invitational with a 2-1 record — and capped it with a 99-71 lambasting of Colorado to win the fifth-place game Wednesday in Lahaina, Hawai’i.
“I was really pleased with our guys on a quick turnaround,” ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger said on the Cyclone Radio Network after his team improved to 5-1. “(I liked) how we shared the basketball, and we talked about, defensively, when we lock in with ball pressure, allowing us to get out in transition and really play for one another — I thought today’s a great team victory. Guys really shared the ball. That’s the way we want to play.”
The Cyclones — who edged Dayton, 89-84, late Tuesday after falling to No. 4 Auburn, 83-81, in Monday’s quarterfinal — turned 18 turnovers into a staggering 37 points. The Buffaloes (5-2) couldn’t recapture the magic that propelled them to a last-second upset win over No. 2 Connecticut on Tuesday and trailed by as many as 33 points to ISU, which shot 60 percent from the field.
“I think they played well against our pressure at first, but we’re gonna keep coming and coming and coming and eventually it will wear on you,” said Cyclone guard Curtis Jones, who scored 19 points off the bench for the second straight game. “We (were) creating some turnovers — I guess we had 18 of them, so we’re very successful when we can do that and get out and run.”
Momcilovic’s career scoring day came via an efficient 9-for-13 shooting performance from the field. He drained six of his nine 3-point attempts and added three assists. Leading scorer Keshon Gilbert chipped in 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting, which made him 19 of 26 from the field in the three-day event.
“He’s been efficient here,” Otzelberger said of Gilbert, who also dished out a game-high six assists. “He’s just played with such command of the game, such maturity, and shot the ball well. Finished, got his teammates involved. I thought this was a big step for him. He really played great.”
Star guard Tamin Lipsey responded with a 10-point, four-assist, and three-rebound performance after playing just 16 minutes while fouling out against the Flyers. The Ames native also snatched away four steals — his third game with three or more takeaways this season.
“(He’s) terrific,” Otzleberger said. “He’s not 100 percent out there. He’s a warrior. He plays through anything and everything. We need to get him some rest, but our guys derive so much confidence from him when he’s out there pressuring there ball, setting the tone for us, making plays. So just really proud of Tamin.”
Everyone on ISU’s nine-man rotation contributed at least a handful of big plays, including backup big man Brandton Chatfield, who didn’t shoot or score, but did grab five rebounds while starting forwards Dishon Jackson and Joshua Jefferson battled foul trouble.
“As we move forward, with the schedule in front of us and as we enter league play, you’ve gotta have great depth and bench production, and we proved here that we can have that.”
Next up for the Cyclones: A Big 12-Big East Battle-based matchup with No. 10 Marquette at 7 p.m. next Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum.
But before that, ISU’s coaches and players will enjoy one last day of fun in the sun.
“(This is) a great place to be and to spend some time doing some team-building things,” Otzelberger said. “And we’ll take advantage of that.”
