Mar 13, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Curtis Jones (5) dives for a loose ball during the first half against the Brigham Young Cougars at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Tamin Lipsey tested himself, seeking to shrug off the waves of pain and discomfort.
Iowa State’s tough-as-nails point guard had hoped a groin injury sustained late in Wednesday’s 76-56 Big 12 Tournament win over Cincinnati wouldn’t keep him out of Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup with No. 17 BYU — but for once, he couldn’t simply grit his teeth and grind on.
“I didn’t know,” said Lipsey, who went through warm-ups before making the rare decision along with the coaching and training staff to sit out the Cyclones’ wildly fluctuating 96-92 loss against the Cougars at the T-Mobile Center. “Walking around, it kind of felt fine (but) that’s a lot different than moving at full speed on a basketball court. It was kind of bothering to cut and accelerate off that leg, so just felt like I probably wouldn’t do much good if I was on the court.”
And while Lipsey made the difficult decision to briefly shut down for ISU (24-9) against BYU (24-8), fellow guard Curtis Jones fully turned up. The Cyclones’ leading scorer scorched the Cougars’ defense for 22 points in five minutes and 21 seconds in the first half, helping his team overcome an early 10-point deficit and eventually surge to a 53-49 halftime lead. He finished with 31 points and drilled seven 3-pointers — the most in program history in a Big 12 Tournament game. But BYU — which also trailed by as many as 10 points late in the first half — responded by going 18 of 36 from 3-point range.
“It’s not a good feeling, I can say that, because it felt like when it went up it was just take it out of the net and we’re going the other way,” said Jones, who started in Lipsey’s place and notched his second 30-point game of the season. “It’s a little discouraging because it just seemed like every possession they were getting that shot and knocking it down.”
That sinking feeling applied to both benches to be mutual as the Cougars watched the Cyclones shot a sizzling 65 percent from the field for two-thirds of the game. The Cougars then chipped away before using a crucial 11-0 run to regain the lead with 9:41 left and they wouldn’t trail again.
“They were making a lot of though shots but we were making (them) on our end, as well,” Lipsey said. “I feel like our offense was flowing and our team did a good job.”
Milan Momcilovic added 18 points for ISU, and big men Dishon Jackson and Joshua Jefferson notched 14 points apiece. Jones started in Lipsey’s place and notched his second 30-point game of the season. He also scored 14 straight points for his team during that torrid five in a half minute stretch.
“That was unreal,” said Momcilovic, who went 8 of 13 from the field. “He was looking like Steph Curry out there.”
Jones certainly channelled Curry’s trademark sky-high confidence.
“My shot was falling,” said Jones, who drained 7 of his first 11 3-point tries. “So why not just keep letting it fly?”
Why not, indeed.
“He was a one-man wrecking crew,” BYU head coach Kevin Young said.
The Cyclones and Cougars broke the single-game Big 12 Tournament record for combined made 3-pointers with over nine minutes remaining. BYU won its ninth-straight game — and notched an equally pulse-pounding double-overtime win over the Cyclones a week and a half ago in Hilton Coliseum.
So the eye-popping numbers produced Thursday seemed shocking, but is par for the course when ISU and BYU meet.
“I think we played really well, so that’s all you want heading into the (NCAA) Tournament,” Jefferson said. “I think we’d all much rather have a national championship than a conference tournament (title), so I think that’s what also played into Tamin sitting out. We want him health for the long-term. Just happy with our team and where we’re at right now.”
So while the loss stings, the overall mood remains buoyant. Cyclone head coach T.J. Otzelberger said he’s “optimistic” that both Lipsey and fellow guard Keshon Gilbert (muscle strain) can heal up for a robust run in March Madness. A week of rest and rehab certainly won’t hurt — and that much-needed respite could benefit the entire team. ISU entered Thursday as a projected No. 3 seed according to ESPN Bracketology guru Joe Lunardi and its unlikely a narrow loss agains one of the country’s hottest teams would hurt the Cyclones’ seeding. But the only thing certain at this point is they’ll be in the tournament, and considerably closer to full strength than they were on Thursday.
“Now we get time to take a step back and come together as a group,” Lipsey said. “Rest our bodies, get healthy, get back on the practice court — get feeling good and see where we go.”
