Photo: David Purdy / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
Ames, Iowa – It took 12 minutes of game time for the Iowa State Cyclones (13-3, 2-1) to thaw out and take the lead from the Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-8, 0-3). Riding off an emotional Tuesday night, the Cyclones silenced any threats of a trap game convincingly winning 66-42. Braving the fridged temperatures and inconsistent tip times, the Cyclone faithful made their voices heard even when things looked bleak.
Iowa State came out onto the Hilton court more affected by the two-hour delayed tip time than the team who improvised their travel plans. Making their presence felt early the Cowboys took a 12-8 lead in the first 8 minutes of action splashing three of their first six three-point attempts.
“We came out sluggish,” Iowa State head coach TJ Otzelberger said. “We have been fortunate to get off to great starts, today that was not the case but then after we got settled in…are defense turned into offense.”
A Tamin Lipsey left-handed layup with 8:32 in the first half gave Iowa State their first lead of the game 16-15. The rolling layup not only gave the Cyclones their first lead but contributed to a 10-0 Iowa State run spanning over 4 minutes that was punctuated by a Tre King slam giving them a five-point lead. While Rob Jones has earned his nickname “Big Rob Energy”, it was the play of Hason Ward once again coming off the bench with a first-half leading 10-point effort in 10 minutes of playtime.
“[Ward] is so disruptive,” Otzelberger said about the effort from his big man. “His length, his athleticism, and the way he is pressuring the basketball now, he has taken a big jump as a player.”
Ward's two slams and consistent rim protection allowed Iowa State to end the first half on a 27-11 run. Oklahoma State looked confused and outmatched each time down the floor. A team that started hot from deep, ended the first half 2-8 beyond the arc helping nudge Iowa State to a 37-26 halftime lead.
The Iowa State defense forced a total of 20 turnovers mostly due to their continued ability to fill any gaps on the floor and close out to the perimeter under control. A few of the Cowboys' second-half miscues occurred because they committed a “Cyclone-sin” of hauling in a rebound and bringing it to the ground, allowing the hungry Iowa State defenders time to come and rip it out. The Cyclones finished with 20 points off of turnovers.
By the time 8mins was left in the game the Cyclones extended their dominating lead to 23 with a Ward alley-oop and a top-of-the-key three by King. A small handful of fans made their way outside, while the rest stayed to see Tamin Lipsey finish the night with a team-high 17 points. Lipsey who had struggled getting into the paint against Oklahoma last week, found success with the defense the Cowboys were running nailing 5 of his 12 shots. Clear that the guard took it personally that he was the only one to miss a free throw against Houston putting together a 7-8 performance at the charity stripe.
If there is anything to critique the Cyclones on in their 24-point blowout, it would be the fact the three-ball is still a major concern. Over the past three games, Iowa State has gone just 9 of 46 from the arc. Thanks to great defense and second-effort shots this Cyclone team continues to find ways to win. This time they did it comfortably.
Winning their second straight game, the Cyclones have three days off before traveling to battle the BYU Cougars on Tuesday night.