Mar 21, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) drives against Lipscomb Bisons guard Kellan Boylan (23) during the first half of a first-round NCAA men’s tournament game at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
MILWAUKEE — The routine’s rarely altered.
Iowa State star forward Milan Momcilovic and formerly little-used walk-on Cade Kelderman join the team for dinner at 4 p.m. Then they return to the practice court for fierce, but friendly shooting competitions deep into the night.
But who usually wins?
“I win most of the time,” Momcilovic said after efficiently dropping 20 points on 14-seed Lipscomb in the third-seeded Cyclones’ 82-55 first-round NCAA Tournament win Friday as a local fan favorite at the Fiserv Forum. “I would say I’m the better shooter, but he’s pretty elite.”
Momcilovic — who grew up in nearby Pewaukee — would have a major say in ISU’s (25-9) lambasting of the normally hot-shooting Bisons (25-10). The 6-8 sophomore scored 12 points in a span of three minutes and 20 seconds to spark a 14-0 Cyclone run that turned an early 16-15 deficit into a 29-16 advantage with 7:16 left in the first half.
And once Momcilovic’s first 3-pointer fell, his teammates exchanged brief knowing glances.
“He was cooking,” said ISU junior point guard Tamin Lipsey, who played through the pain of a groin injury and scored 10 points while dishing out four assists in 24 minutes. “I feel like every time he shot, it was going in, and I’m sure he felt the same way.”
The other Cyclones sure did.
“He’s been on fire from 3,” said senior guard Nate Heise, who soared for two alley-oop dunks late and scored nine points while grabbing six rebounds. “And there (are) a couple plays we go to for him to get those 3s, and that broke the game open today — and he was the biggest reason why.”
Kelderman, who became a regular part of the rotation late in the season, added a 3-pointer of his own off the bench and turned one of his team-high-tying three steals into a breakaway layup. The Waukee native and lifelong Cyclone fan also smiled as he lined up his long-range shot.
“I was open, (so) it was, ‘I’ve gotta shoot it,’ but I didn’t know I was smiling,” Kelderman said. “Honestly, when I shot it I didn’t think it was going in. It didn’t look like it was on the right trajectory, but man, it went in, and it was cool.”
ISU’s defense cooled off Lipscomb by holding it to a season-low 55 points and 37 percent shooting. The Cyclones also outscored the Bisons 23-to-5 in points off turnovers and 50-to-20 in the paint. Curtis Jones added 17 points for ISU, who will play 6-seed Ole Miss (23-11) in the second round on Sunday.
“We really dialed in,” said Jones, who’s scored 16 or more points in five of the past six games. “We got some runouts and no team can guard a fast break well, so that was big time.”
Junior forward Joshua Jefferson scored 10 points to join Momcilovic, Jones and Lipsey in double figures. He also clutched eight rebounds while recording a game-high eight assists.
“Just tried to play as well-rounded as I could,” Jefferson said.
That seemed to be a team-wide mission on Friday — one the Cyclones accomplished with aplomb.
As for Momcilovic’s dramatic first-half flourish, Kelderman deserves some credit for that.
After all, he registered a relatively rare win over his roommate in one of those post-dinner shootouts.
“Maybe, like, Tuesday or Wednesday, but I got him this week,” Kelderman said, smiling again. “I got him going, got him right. So give all the credit to me.”
