Iowa State Cyclones guard Curtis Jones (5) reacts after making a three-point shot against Iowa Hawkeyes guard Brock Harding (2) Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. © Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
IOWA CITY – After 36-plus minutes of trying, Iowa State finally took the lead down the stretch to secure an 89-80 win in Thursday’s Cy-Hawk basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
No matter who hit a big shot, forced a turnover or what transpired in the second half, it seemed as though Iowa’s lead would keep hovering around two or three possessions for eternity.
“I kept looking at the scoreboard, and not to say my math is great,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “But every time I looked up there, it just seemed like we were always down five, or we’re down six… now we’re down eight. And you felt like there were times we were playing the way we needed to play offensively, but we weren’t as focused on the defensive side like we needed to be.”
Iowa was throwing punches and landing almost every one.
The Hawkeyes started the game making five of their first six 3-pointers, and Iowa forward Ladji Dembele had three of them in the game, never missing from beyond the arc.
Owen Freeman was getting inside the paint, leading Iowa in scoring with 16 by the end of the night.
When it needed a big shot, Iowa got it, but the Cyclones’ confidence never waivered.
“(We) didn’t ever really feel too bad, though,” said senior Curtis Jones, who hit a big 3-pointer late to put the Cyclones up by five. “Like, even when (Iowa) was going on the run, it didn’t get to a point where it was like, ‘we can’t come back.’ And then we just kept chipping away and chipping away… it stayed at about six, I’d say, through most of the second half. And then we finally get over that.”
Jones referenced Iowa State’s loss in Maui earlier this season to now No. 2 Auburn, and the punches his team took aiding in Thursday’s win.
But what stood above all was the Cyclones’ chemistry, when things finally came together in the final four minutes.
“You know, we’re really (an) actually together team,” Jones said. “Like, a lot of teams might say it, but I feel like it shows on the court. Nobody’s really yelling at each other and nothing like that – we’re coming together, communicating with each other, like ‘you got it,’ and things like that, and really meaning (it when we say it). So, I’m always confident when I’m out there with them.”
Iowa State just couldn’t find it’s way to the lead, and tied the game three times before eventually taking its first lead with 3:05 to play.
“We don’t prepare thinking we’re going to play perfectly or everything’s going to go well,” Otzelberger said. “And what really matters to me is how, because I think it’s probably as important of a life skill as you can have – is when something doesn’t go to your way, how do you respond?
“And our guys had that happen, you know, over and over again,” Otzelberger added. “They were so good, we just couldn’t get that game tied until, I think it was 66-all. It’s a big difference mentally when you can get back to even or even take the lead. And I think it shows resiliency from our guys.”
Iowa State got an extra boost late in the game, to pick up its first win at Carver since 2014.
With a large contingent of Cyclone fans in the building, the momentum gradually switched while Iowa State continued to chip away.
Otzelberger attributed it to his roster construction.
“Well, the continuity and our roster certainly is important,” Otzelberger said, in response to a question about the amount of Cyclones in the crowd. “When you’re able to to return as many guys as we (did) – I think at this point in college athletics – having that continuity is important. Because those guys… we’ve been through some really tough fights together already. We’ve had that experience and those experiences under our belt last season.”
And that’s exactly how Iowa State was able to flip the switch when it did, at the final media timeout with the game knotted up at 74.
Iowa missed its next five shots from the field.
“I think it speaks volumes of our guys and how they lead one another, and their ability to just focus on that task at hand, and to have each other’s back, because it is important,” Otzelberger said. “You’ve got to find ways to win, a lot of different ways. And the way that that went tonight probably wasn’t my first choice coming into the game, but (we’re) grateful and fortunate that our guys hung in there and found a way.”
