Dec 4, 2024; Ames, Iowa, USA; The Iowa State Cyclones bench celebrates after Cyclones guard Nate Heise (0) made a basket against the Marquette Golden Eagles in the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
AMES – Iowa State closed out its game Wednesday on a 20-9 run in the final nine minutes and change to earn an 81-70 win over No. 5 Marquette at Hilton Coliseum.
After a 10-0 run from Marquette tied the game at 61 with 9:07 to play, Iowa State flipped the script.
“We were in a similar position in the Auburn game, where we were up and then we came back,” coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We reclaimed the lead, which is hard to do and I think our guys – from that experience – you know that good teams are going to keep coming. So, it felt like we had a more concerted effort defensively to square the ball, guard the dribble, and keep it out of the paint to where they were taking longer jump shots.”
The game changed when Nate Heise got put on Marquette’s Kam Jones
During the timeout, Otzelberger put Nate Heise in the game with the assignment to guard Marquette point guard Kam Jones.
“Kam Jones, specifically – he was great for them making plays and setting guys up, and then ultimately, Nate Heise and the job he did in that second half guarding Jones… man, he was phenomenal,” Otzelberger said. “He was physical. He was competitive. He was tough. Nate was a big time difference-maker for defensively down the stretch, for sure.”
Along with limiting Jones to just two points in the final nine minutes, Heise had a pair of high energy three’s that caught the Hilton crowd’s attention.
The senior hit a 3-pointer to give the Cyclones their biggest lead of the game at 15 points with 3:06 to play, and later sent a ball to the student section with a block he had on the defensive side.
“Well, we knew that Nate Heise is a really good basketball player on the defensive side, specifically as a shut down defender,” Otzelberger said. “He did such a tremendous job – I have so much confidence in him. And I’ll tell you, one of my favorite moments to date from this season was the 3-pointer that he hit. The courage to take that shot – it’s a big shot – with as much as he did defensively, that’s a big time play. And he brings big energy plays for us, he had the dunk in the first half on the cut. I mean he brings a lot of energy for us on the court.
“Then to do what he did defensively – he was locked in and it was really great to see,” Otzelberger said.
The big’s had their best game as a unit
The duo of Dishon Jackson, Joshua Jefferson each stood out in different ways during Iowa State’s victory – its first in program history over a top 5 team in non-conference play at Hilton Coliseum.
Both Jackson and Jefferson were monstrous on the boards, combining for 19 rebounds as well as 26 points together.
Down the stretch, Jefferson iced the game off of a defensive stop, throwing a 360-spin move at the Marquette defender and finishing at the rim for an and-1.
“Those guys are really hard workers. They’re guys that are skilled – both of them. They have great hands. They can finish. They convert at the foul line and they pass it well. I think with Dishon, you’re seeing him in a lot more of a rhythm. His confidence is a lot higher. He’s communicating better. His body language and energy on the court is great.
“And, I mean Joshua, what a difference maker he was tonight,” Otzelberger said. “He knew he had to attack in the paint and at the rim on the glass. I think with those guys – you’re continuing to see them take steps forward. We had confidence in what they could do when we recruited them and you’re seeing them elevate their game against competition.”
If Iowa State can get play like that out of those two on a routine basis, the ceiling will certainly get higher.
Tamin Lipsey isn’t 100 percent right now
The point guard finished with only one point to his name on an 0-4 shooting night with four assists.
Otzelberger confirmed reports that Lipsey isn’t fully healthy at this point in the year Wednesday.
“Tamin’s on-ball defense – I would put up against anyone in the country,” Otzelberger said. “His competitive spirit, his toughness, his physicality and his focus… he’s truly special that way. He commands our team. He’s still like everybody out there – we talk about what Keshon (Gilbert) brings… well, when Tamin’s out there, he just has a command and a demeanor, and a veteran experience with how he carries himself.
“He’s banged up right now,” Otzelberger said. “He’s not anywhere near 100 percent, and he lays it on the line and does whatever we need to be effective. I’m really proud of Tamin. I thought he did great tonight. You can’t look at the stats and say, ‘ah he had one point or four assists, or anything to do with anything.’ He was a very impactful player… hopefully, we can get him healthy so that he can be the player that we all know that he can be and perform at that level. We’ll continue to look into that and do what we can to support him. I love Tamin Lipsey. He’s a winner.”
Iowa State will return to the court Sunday to face Jackson State before it travels to Iowa City next Thursday for its annual Cy-Hawk Series matchup with Iowa.
