AMES — Whether they were Iowa State basketball lifers like Tamin Lipsey or late arrivals through the transfer portal, all of the Cyclones’ seniors embraced the roaring cheers at Hilton Coliseum in one final home game.
Arizona State looked to be a spoiler early, with the Cyclones trailing at the half, but Iowa State responded with a resurgent second-half effort to enjoy an 86-65 win over the Sun Devils and send their seniors off in style to close out the regular season on Saturday, March 7.
The Cyclones (25-6, 12-6 Big 12 Conference) deployed an all-senior lineup in the closing minutes of the game, before coach T.J. Otzelberger pulled Nate Heise, Joshua Jefferson and Lipsey out of the game with 1:10 remaining for a standing ovation from the crowd.
“It was a long day,” Lipsey said. “Just thinking about it right when I woke up in the morning, it hit me more than the past couple days. There’s a lot of emotions from when I stepped on the court for my pre-workout and when we all lined up out there. I was holding back tears sometimes. I saw a bunch of the students with the headbands on. That meant a lot to see that.
“A lot of tears have been in my eyes, as I’ve tried to keep them in a little bit, but I was just grateful for it.”
Lipsey had 16 points, six assists and six steals. Jefferson also chipped in 16 points, with seven boards, two steals and a block. Milan Momcilovic shot 4-of-9 from deep and also finished with 16 points. Off the bench, Jamarion Batemon had 13 points, while Dominykas Pleta had 11.
For Arizona State (16-15, 7-11), Massamba Diop had 12 points, two blocks and seven turnovers. Moe Odum and Anthony Johnson each chipped in 10 points.
Here are three takeaways from Iowa State’s win over Arizona State:
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on 24-0 run vs Arizona St
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on the Cyclones’ 24-0 run in the second half of their win over Arizona State.
Tale of two halves, with a decisive 24-0 run for Iowa State
A sloppy finish to the first half for Iowa State allowed Arizona State to go on a 10-0 run over the final 2:04 to take a 41-37 halftime lead. The Cyclones had three turnovers during the Sun Devils’ blitz and quickly saw a nine-point lead disappear.
After the break, Iowa State emerged reinvigorated. It outscored the Sun Devils, 33-7, over the first 13 and a half minutes out of the locker room. At one point during that dominant run, the Cyclones scored 24 unanswered points.
The lopsided second-half showing was an encapsulation of the Cyclones at their best. Iowa State was generating turnovers at a high clip, Arizona State went more than 10 minutes between made shots and various Cyclones were making momentum-boosting plays.
“It obviously starts with Killyan (Toure) and I guarding the ball, but it’s great to see the plays that (Dominykas) Pleta was making and Blake (Buchanan) get up to the ball screen, they can create turnovers and deflections as well,” Lipsey said of the 24-0 run. “When they’re doing that, it’s hard to move the ball against us and score against us, so when all five guys are playing together and playing on a string, rotating like we were in the second half, it’s definitely hard to play us.”
Both teams traded baskets to begin the second half, but Momcilovic and Jefferson each drilled 3-pointers to retake the lead for Iowa State and begin the streak of 24 straight points. Lipsey topped off the run with a 3-pointer of his own to make it 65-45 with 8:38 remaining.
The Cyclones shot 50.0% as a team in the second half. Defensively, they held Arizona State to just 6-of-19 (31.6%) from the floor for the rest of the game after it shot 58.3% in the first half.
Iowa State’s ball pressure was unrelenting. The Sun Devils turned the ball over 23 times, which Iowa State turned into 29 points the other way. Thirteen of those turnovers came in the second half.
“It’s been a surefire way to put ourselves in a great position, to have great on-ball defense, great ball pressure, speed our opponent up and force them to play under duress, get those turnovers and then get out and go in transition,” Otzelberger said. “We just have to do a very consistent job of maintaining that mindset for the full 40 minutes every single game, because when we do that, we’re really tough to play against. We generate those turnovers, get out and go, that’s when we’re at our best.”
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on Tamin Lipsey senior day
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger shared his thoughts on Tamin Lipsey’s impact after senior day.
Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Iowa State seniors go out in style
The paths that led them to Ames may be different, but there’s no doubting Iowa State seniors’ gratitude for their time in cardinal and gold.
Lipsey, Jefferson, Heise, Dominick Nelson and Eric Mulder were all honored in the Cyclones’ senior day festivities before Saturday’s game.
Heise was honored again after also being honored in last season’s senior day. He decided to return for a sixth-year of college basketball due to a medical redshirt during his time at UNI.
“I actually asked Heise yesterday or earlier today, because he went through it last year as well, I asked him, ‘How does it work?’ and he had no clue,” Lipsey said. “That’s a funny story, but, yeah, just cherishing the moment was the most important thing.”
The five seniors were greeted with roaring applause from the home crowd during the pregame ceremony. Jefferson and Lipsey received extra cheers when they were introduced as starters one final time at Hilton Coliseum. The crowd was buzzing throughout the game, but they screamed one final time as Jefferson, Lipsey, and Heise checked out in the final minutes.
“Just a ton of gratitude and appreciation,” Jefferson, who also noted coming to Iowa State was the best decision of his life, said. “These people, with open arms, they let me in and I’m very appreciative for the two years I spent here and I’m excited to continue on with this year and continue playing.”
For Lipsey, there aren’t enough words from the hometown hero to describe his emotion.
“The gratitude I have for all the fans and obviously the coaches for believing in me since day one,” Lipsey said. “It’s been a long time, a quick four years, I guess you could say. For me, it’s been really quick, but I’m just thankful for the opportunity and obviously to keep going forward to winning more games.”
Iowa State basketball’s Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson on senior day
Iowa State basketball players Tamin Lipsey and Joshua Jefferson digest and react to the Cyclones’ senior day win over Arizona State.
Iowa State underclassmen step up on senior day
The spotlight might have been on the Cyclones’ seniors, but Iowa State also got good performances from a couple of its younger players.
Momcilovic shot 4-of-9 from deep and was tied with Lipsey and Jefferson with a team-high 16 points. He also had a game-high +31 plus-minus rating.
However, there’s no overlooking the contributions made by freshmen Pleta and Batemon off the bench.
Pleta was hyper-efficient and was strong on the glass and with his defensive effort. He had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, with five rebounds, including three offensive, and two steals in just 14 minutes of action.
“Pleta had one of his best games,” Otzelberger said. “The steal he had early in the second half, where he did the German-Euro-foot-shuffle step, whatever that was, was pretty awesome. That really got our guys going. He had so many energy plays, he played terrific.”
Batemon added 13 points and shot 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, with a couple of his long-range baskets coming at crucial points to ignite his team and the home crowd.
“He just has such gravity to how he plays, so much energy and enthusiasm,” Otzelberger said. “When he’s at his best, when he’s defending and rebounding, his offense really goes well for him.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5
