That was resilient.
Iowa State led for just 1 minute, 39 seconds in 45 minutes before coming out of Saturday’s game with an 85-84 overtime win against Texas Tech.
The Cyclones took advantage of getting Elijah Hawkins in foul trouble early in the second half
The Red Raiders starter had nine assists before he was forced to the bench after picking up his fourth foul with 18:14 to play in the game.
T.J. Otzelberger opted to go right at Hawkins and it paid off, as he didn’t re-enter until the 8:34 mark.
Iowa State trailed by eight when Hawkins went to the bench, and when he checked back in, the game was tied.
Texas Tech had an answer for every punch, though.
The resiliency
Texas Tech ended the game 19-24 from the free throw line, but two of the misses came in the final minute of regulation. It allowed Iowa State the ball with six seconds left on the clock, trailing by two.
Tamin Lipsey did his thing and found Joshua Jefferson under the hoop to find the tie.
In overtime, it was the same story, but Iowa State had more time to work with on its final play, trailing by a point.
But again, Joshua Jefferson was there
The St. Mary’s transfer has been the program’s most valuable off-season addition, and showed up again Saturday.
He was fouled after getting the ball in front of the hoop, and nailed the eventual pair of game-winning free throws. Jefferson finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
With the help from No. 2, Iowa State escaped Lubbock against a Texas Tech team that – like everyone – would give the Cyclones their best shot.
That comes with the help of other portal additions, too
Of Iowa State’s 85 points, 71 were scored by transfers in the overtime victory.
Curtis Jones tied his Iowa State high with 26 points, at one point scoring seven in a row for the Cyclones.
Brandt Chatfield was making all of the plays that don’t show up in the statbook, ending with six big rebounds on a plethora of hustle plays.
“I’m so confident in this team in those moments,” Curtis Jones said on the Varsity Network postgame show. “Just because we never get too high on ourselves, even when the other team starts celebrating a bit.”
The recipe and philosophy are coming together maybe more strongly than ever, and the Cyclones are off to a 4-0 start in Big 12 play.
On Monday, when the new AP rankings are released, Iowa State could appear in the top 2 for the first time in program history.
That’s what resiliency gets.
