(Kansas City, MO) – Iowa State is officially your Big XII Conference Champions after defeating Houston 69-41 in an impressive defensive battle. This marks the fifth time in the last 10 tournaments that Iowa State has won the Championship game and the sixth time overall for the Cyclones. Saturday’s victory also marked the biggest-ever victory in a Big XII Championship game for Iowa State.
Looking inside of the game, Houston was able to carry an 11-9 lead before Iowa State was able to pick up the momentum with an 8-0 run to go up 17-11 in the game. The lead was shaved down to a 24-21 advantage, but then the Cyclones were able to carry it 30-23 at halftime. After a trip to the locker room, Iowa State was able to come out of halftime with a 10-0 run to open up the second half of action to put a lead of up to even 32 points in the game as the Cougars started things off shooting just 1-14 with the Cyclones leading 54-28 and continued to hold that lead throughout all the rest of the game.
In the postgame conference, Tamin Lipsey had this to say about the hard work the Cyclones have put in this season.
Iowa State was led on the evening by Milan Momcilovic who played in 30 minutes of action while shooting 6-11 from the field. Momcilovic also put down a game-high 18 points and hauled in six boards. Sitting right alongside him was Keshon Gilbert, putting down 16 points and six rebounds while dishing out three assists and swiping away three steals. Coming up right behind was Hason Ward who put up 13 points on the night while shooting 5-6 from the field.
The Houston Cougars were led on the evening by Jamal Shead who shot a poor 3-17 from the field while putting down a team-high 10 points and had three assists. Damian Dunn was able to put down eight points on the night while also snagging six rebounds on the hardwood. Coming up right alongside was LJ Cryer who shot 3-12 from the floor while putting down seven points for the Cougars.
Iowa State was able to hold Houston to just 26.8% from the field while going just 18.2% from beyond the arc in the game. The Cyclones continued to knock down shot after shot, going 50% from the field and over 40% from three-point range on the night. Iowa State outscored Houston 28-18 in the paint and also outscored the Cougars in turnover with an 18-5 advantage. The Cyclones also were able to take an advantage in fast break points with a 12-3 advantage and in bench points with a 22-11 advantage. Keshon Gilbert says that their minds are still focused on what is ahead and keeping a narrow mind come the postseason on one goal.
Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger was proud of what his boys were able to do in the game and knew that this game was just another step towards success in their lives both on and off the hardwood.
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament selection show comes up on Sunday, March 17th at 5:00 p.m. to determine who Iowa State will be taking on in postseason play.
