Feb 11, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; Central Florida Knights guard Mikey Williams (1) defends Iowa State Cyclones guard Keshon Gilbert (10) at Addition Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell Lansford-Imagn Images
Iowa State’s Curtis Jones and Milan Momcilovic shined early, then went into the deep freeze Tuesday at UCF.
A recipe for a tense game?
Nope — and that’s because everyone in the No. 10 Cyclones’ rotation made major contributions in an eventual 77-65 win in Orlando.
Seven players for ISU (19-5, 9-4) scored between eight and 15 points to send the slumping Knights (13-11, 4-9) to their fifth straight loss.
“We did a lot of winning things,” head coach T.J. Otzelberger said on the Cyclone Radio Network after the game. “I felt like offensively we really had great intent to make the right play. It wasn’t a great shooting night for us by any stretch, but I felt like our guys were taking the right shots.”
Keshon Gilbert led the Cyclones with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Joshua Jefferson narrowly missed his 10th double-double of the season with 13 points and eight rebounds. Tamin Lipsey added 11 points and Jones totaled 10 to help complete the regular-season sweep of UCF.
“We just need to continue to make the right plays for our teammates,” Otzelberger said. “I felt like we focused on doing that, and then the free-throw line was big for us late.”
ISU made 15 of its 17 free-throw attempts in the second half — and drained 10 in a row as the Knights tried to rally behind full-court pressure and fouls to extend the game. Cyclone reserves Nate Heise and Brandton Chatfield contributed their best offensive performances in several games, combining for 17 points and eight rebounds to help their team win its second game in a row. Heise had scored a total of seven points in his previous five games.
“He’s brought a lot to the table even though you watch the offense and you say the shots not falling or he doesn’t look aggressive,” Otzelberger said. “We’ve continued to be demanding of it and as aggressive as he’s been defensively, he was shot-ready offensively — and that’s what Nate Heise’s here to do.”
Chatfield had scored a total of eight points in his previous seven games and collected just three rebounds in his most recent three games.
“I’m his roommate and I spend a lot of time with him,” Heise said. “It’s always great to see him do well because he’s the ultimate team guy.”
ISU looked good early, as well, starting 4-for-8 from 3-point range and racing to an early 18-9 lead before UCF made a run. The Knights scored 16 of the game’s next 20 points to take a 25-22 lead with 4:51 left in the first half. The Cyclones responded with a late 7-0 run fueled by two baskets by Gilbert and held a narrow 32-30 edge at the break.
Jones scored all of his 10 points in the first half, and shot just 2-for-9 from beyond the arc. Jefferson added six points before the break and Gilbert had five for the Cyclones, who totaled 10 assists on 13 first-half field goals but shot just 1-for-4 from the free-throw line in the opening 20 minutes.
The Cyclones return to action Saturday against Cincinnati (15-9, 5-8), which has won three games in a row. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
“We know we’re gonna have a great crowd,” Otzelberger said. “There’s gonna be great energy in Hilton on Saturday. We’ll be excited to be at our best in a great environment.”
