(Omaha, NE) – The Iowa State Cyclones are headed to the Sweet Sixteen after defeating Washington State 67-56. This marks the second time in three seasons under T.J. Otzelberger that the Cyclones are moving to the Sweet 16, the first coach to lead Iowa State twice to the Sweet 16.
Iowa State started off the night behind after a 7-0 Cougar run but was able to come back and adjust to push through the second half. The Cyclones were able to keep things close for one of their first leads at 36-35 with 13:47 left in the game. The Clones kept the defense rolling and kept Washington State in a chokehold. The Cyclones were able to push their lead to double-digits in the last minute of the game to advance to their fourth Sweet 16 in the last 11 seasons.
The Cyclones were led on the night by Tamin Lipsey who knocked down 15 points while hauling in five rebounds while dishing out four assists. Curtis Jones followed up right behind Lipsey with 14 points while hauling in four rebounds and four assists. Keshon Gilbert was able to knock in 10 points while whipping out three assists while also pulling in two rebounds. Cyclone freshman Milan Momcilovic shot 4-9 from the field and had 10 points on the night while having both a steal and a block. He now sits in second of all-time among Iowa State freshmen for the most three-pointers in a single season. Head Coach was happy with how his guys turned things around in the second half against a phenomenal team.
Washington State was led by Jaylen Wells who played almost the entire game and led the game in scoring with 20 points and shooting 8-17 from the field while hauling in four rebounds. Myles Rice knocked down 13 points on the night while swiping away two steals and shooting 6-10 from the field. The last top scorer was Isaac Jones who had eight points and nine rebounds, just short of a double-double.
Iowa State now sits at 23-22 in all-time NCAA Tournament appearances to now earn its seventh Sweet 16 appearance in ISU history. The Cyclones also forced a total of 13 turnovers versus Iowa State’s six in the game. ISU scored 21 points off of those 13 turnovers while also scoring 21 points coming off the bench. Coach Otzelberger is now looking to prepare for a tough Fighting Illini team coming later this week.
Iowa State will take on Illinois in a Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday, March 28th.
