Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson can deftly go behind his back while traversing the court at full speed.
The skilled 6-8 senior also showcases his crisp passing skills on a regular basis — whether pivoting in the paint, or serving as a point forward.
And Jefferson put his expansive skillset on full display Tuesday afternoon, helping the No. 15 Cyclones down Creighton, 78-60, at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
“When I’m intentional about what I do on the floor, I think I can go out there and do what I want to do every single night,” Jefferson told reporters after his 18-point, 10-rebound, and five-assist effort helped ISU (6-0) improve to 2-0 in the prestigious and NIL money-laden event. “So crashing the boards, trying to get on (the) offensive glass as much as I can is what helped me with my double-double tonight.”
It was Jefferson’s 15th career double-double — and 11th since joining the Cyclones’ program last season. Freshman guard Killyan Toure scored a career-high 20 points to lead ISU in star senior guard Tamin Lipsey’s absence. Lipsey suffered a lower-body injury late in Monday’s win over No. 14 St. John’s and it’s unclear who long he’ll need to sit out. ISU will play a team yet to be determined at a time still to be determined on Wednesday to complete their play at the Players Era event.
“No idea on (Wednesday),” Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger said about Lipsey’s situation. “We’re gonna stay with the day-to-day (tag) and then work with him and our training staff. But I don’t want him to feel any additional pressure. As much as we’re competitive and want to win every game, Tamin has done so much for our program (and) we want him to be healthy. We want his body to feel great, and we want him to be at his best — and we’ll be disciplined until that time comes.”
ISU was disciplined on both ends of the floor Tuesday, limiting the Bluejays (3-3) to 38 percent field goal shooting while forcing 17 turnovers and crafting a 52-to-20 edge in points in the paint.
Blake Buchanan added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Cyclones, while Milan Momcilovic chipped in 10. Nate Heise led ISU in assists (six) and steals (three), while scoring eight points in a game-high 38 minutes and 37 seconds of court time.
“He’s a warrior and that was on full display today,” Otzelberger said. “He didn’t have a lot of rest, either. He was terrific.”
So was Toure, who soared for three dunks, sank a 3-pointer, and played the lockdown defense both he and Lipsey are known for.
“(He) showed everything that he’s learned from Tamin and put that into play,” Otzelberger said. “And I think there’s no better way to honor someone you respect as much I know (he does Lipsey), as he honors him than to go out there and have that performance. So it was great to see.”
Two of Toure’s dunks came during a 9-0 first half run that turned a 15-15 tie into a 24-15 ISU lead. One of those came off a steal. Another was assisted by Jefferson — who also dished to Buchanan for a dunk in that sequence before burying a 3-pointer.
“I think we have three really good leaders in myself, Nate, and Tamin,” Jefferson said. “So just pushing practice habits forward and trying to never take a day off is what’s helping us play well in these games.”
