(Omaha, NE) – The Hilton Magic has carried over to Omaha with another Cyclone victory on Thursday over #15-seed South Dakota State 82-65. That win tied the 2013-14 season for the second most wins in a single season in program history with a total of 28 for the #2-seeded Cyclones. This also marked a win for Iowa State Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger against his former team.
Iowa State played a dominant first half, going into halftime with a 40-33 lead. The Cyclones started off the second half on a slow pace, allowing a couple of turnovers and a three-ball to bring the game within four. After that run by the Jackrabbits, the Cyclones went on to score 12 straight points to take on a 16-point lead which Iowa State continued to pack on.
The victorious Cyclones were led on the night by Milan Momcilovic who shot 8-15 from the field while tying for the game-high 19 points while hauling in five rebounds on the night. The top Cyclone freshman is now just two three-pointers away from sitting at #2 in Iowa State Freshman history. Coming up right behind the freshman was All-American Tamin Lipsey who put down 17 points while dishing out a team-high seven assists while shooting 6-9 from the hardwood. Keshon Gilbert had another impressive night also shooting 6-9 from the field while putting down 15 points, whipping out five assists, and sweeping away three steals. Curtis Jones had to get in on the double-digit action for ISU, finishing with 11 points, four rebounds, and two steals. The last double-digit scorer for Iowa State was Hason Ward who played in just 10 minutes with 10 points and three rebounds.
On the opposite end, the Jackrabbits were led on the night by Zeke Mayo who tied with Momcilovic in scoring with 19 points, four assists, and two boards. Sitting right alongside Mayo was William Kyle III who shot 6-10 from the field putting down 14 points and snagging seven rebounds. Charlie Easley also got in as the last double-digit scorer for South Dakota State with 11 points and had three boards and three assists. While not scoring double-digits, Luke Appel came close with nine points and had a team-high seven rebounds.
Iowa State led on the night in steals 11-4, points in the paint 36-22, fast break points 17-3, and in bench points 24-6. The Cyclones also led all night long, as the game featured zero lead changes all night long.
The Cyclones will take on the winner of the Drake vs. Washington State game on Saturday, March 23rd.
