Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) looks for pass as Omaha Mavericks center Isaac Ondekane (24) defends during the first half in the NCAA men’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Aems Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES — Several 3-point attempts clanged off the iron or missed it entirely.
Turnovers came in bunches. And for most of the first half on Sunday, No. 3 Iowa State struggled mightily against outmanned Omaha at Hilton Coliseum.
The Cyclones and Mavericks were tied, 21-21, with 6:57 left in the first half, but the defense finally clicked into place, igniting a 20-2 run that fueled a sloppy and often sluggish 83-51 win.
“Starting the game, we were very careless with the basketball,” said ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger, whose team matched a season-high with 12 turnovers. “It’s uncharacteristic for us but not acceptable. And defensively, I just felt like we were a step slow, and those are things that are gonna leave things to chance. When we’re at our best, it’s getting after people, it’s getting up and down the open court, making plays for one another in the paint.”
The Cyclones (9-1) eventually settled into that favorable flow and outscored Omaha (4-9) 50-to-20 in the paint, and 26-to-16 in points off turnovers.
Keshon Gilbert led ISU with 16 points on 6-for-9 field goal shooting after going 3-for-13 in Thursday’s 89-80 win at Iowa. Forwards Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic added 13 points apiece, and Jefferson grabbed a team-best eight rebounds. Five Cyclones scored in double figures for the third straight game, with Tamin Lipsey and Nate Heise chipping in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
“We’ve got a team this year that everyone can score the ball,” said Momcilovic, who went 2-for-4 from 3-point range. “So I think you’re gonna see a lot of game where we’re gonna have five, six guys in double digits. That’s just how we play. We get everyone involved and I think we played decent offensively today. Can definitely bet better — turned it over a little too much in the first half, but I like what I saw.”
ISU shot 53.3 percent overall despite going six of 20 from beyond the arc. Lipsey and fellow guard Curtis Jones went a combined 0-for-9 from long range after teaming up to drain eight of 15 from 3-point range in the win at Iowa. Lipsey still provided his usually toughness-based plays, however, and Jones notched a game-high six assists in 25 minutes of court time, so their collective shooting struggles didn’t diminish the many positives they bring to the game.
“Points are gonna come and go,” Otzelberger said. “We’re fortunate to have some depth and multiple guys who can score the ball. Ultimately, everybody has to play to their identity, regardless of scoring and shots falling, and Curt had a great floor game even though the shot wasn’t falling for him. Tamin’s on-ball defense and getting us extra possessions — he did a good job in those areas. So between the two of them, there’s nine assists, one turnovers, so that’s part of it, too.”
As for the sluggish start on both ends of the floor? It happens. Finals week begins tomorrow and the Cyclones were coming off an emotionally draining comeback rivalry win on the road. It’s impossible to be fully locked in for every 40-minute span of basketball, even if that is the expectation within Otzelberger’s program.
“They did a good job of speeding us up in the first half,” Jefferson said. “So (we) just continued to take our time.”
