CINCINNATI, Ohio – No. 10 Iowa State (19-5, 8-3 Big 12) earned its third Big 12 road win of the season, defeating league newcomer Cincinnati (15-9, 4-7 Big 12) on Tuesday night at Fifth Third Arena behind a powerful defensive performance, 68-59.
Tuesday’s game figured to be a must win for the Bearcats, a team who is right on the fringe of the current projection of the NCAA tournament. After facing No. 5 Houston on Saturday and falling short, Cincy had another prime chance to earn a resume-building top-10 victory.
That all went by the wayside as the Cyclones strode into the Queen City and turned the hometown team over 25 times on the day – the most Cincy has turned it over in a game all season (its previous high was 18). The Cyclone defense also held the Bearcats to just 59 points, their lowest of the season. As of today, Feb 13, Iowa State has held eight of its 23 opponents to its lowest output of the season – four of which came in Big 12 play.
ISU got a balanced scoring effort this evening, as both Curtis Jones and Tamin Lipsey had 15 points to lead the team. Keshon Gilbert and Robert Jones also finished in double figures, scoring 12 apiece. The Cyclones move to 25-1 under T.J Otzelberger when four or more players score in double digits. R. Jones had a team-high six boards and Lipsey had a team-best four assists to go along with a game-high three steals.
It was the seventh time this season ISU has forced an opponent into 20-plus turnovers and Cincinnati was the second Big 12 foe the Cyclones forced into 25-plus turnovers on the road. Iowa State moves to 16-2 when forcing 15-plus TO this season as well as 8-1 when forcing 20-plus.
The Bearcats were led by freshman Jizzle James who had a game-high 16 points on the day, knocking down four 3-pointers. Dan Skillings Jr. recorded a double-double, going for 13 points and 11 boards with three assists. Cincy crushed ISU on the boards, outrebounding Iowa State 38-24 and got great production from its bench (37 points).
How It Happened
The game started off like many before, a defensive slugfest. Iowa State and Cincinnati went blow-for-blow, trading leads back and forth. While Iowa State’s defense was having its way with the Bearcats, the offense was slow out of the gates. The Cyclones forced 14 first-half turnovers but were struggling to gain separation late into the period.
That changed at the 3:45 mark, when, down 24-23, Iowa State forced a turnover and got out and ran as Gilbert laid in a transition bucket to retake the lead. A lead in which the Cyclones would never give up from there on. The Cyclones finished the half on an 11-2 run to take a 34-26 lead into the break.
The second half started like the first ended, as the Cyclones continued to take it to the Bearcat defense. A quick 7-0 burst out of the gate extended the current run to 18-2 as the ISU lead ballooned to 41-26. Minutes later, Iowa State would push the lead to its largest, 16 points, following a C. Jones 3-pointer.
ISU maintained a healthy distance from the Bearcats leading by double figures for nearly the entire second stanza. Cincy got it under ten with 1:22 left, but clutch free throw shooting and solid defensive execution down the stretch helped ISU earn its eight Big 12 win of the season.
Top Performers
Robert Jones played a great game in today’s road win, grabbing three offensive rebounds to keep multiple possessions alive as well as going 6-of-7 from the floor, being ultra-efficient in his scoring efforts. It was his first double-digit scoring outing since January six and his seventh of the season.
Notes
· Jackson Paveletzke cashed his 200th career field goal on the day,
· Tamin Lipsey is now two steals shy of No. 13 in ISU annals.
· Lipsey, like Pav, went over 200 made field goals.
· Curtis Jones went over 100 career steals.
· Keshon Gilbert is now one assist shy of 250 in his career.
· Robert Jones went over 900 career points.
Up Next
After a one-game road trip, Iowa State returns to Hilton Coliseum to face Texas Tech on Saturday, Feb. 17, in an 11 a.m. matchup. The Red Raiders come to Ames after demolishing No. 6 Kansas on Big Monday and the game is set to be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
