Iowa State closed the first half on a 26-9 run and shot 60.9 percent from the field after intermission to take control of the game. The win secured a school-record-tying 14-0 start to begin a season.
Momcilovic continued his torrid shooting, drilling 8-of-10 shots from beyond the arc to help the Cyclones nail 13-of-25 3-pointers (52.0 pct.). It was his sixth game this season with five or more 3-pointers.
Jefferson was just as impressive with a 10-point, 10-rebound and 10-assist performance for the ninth triple-double in Cyclone history.
Blake Buchanan added 14 points, and his six boards helped the Cyclones dominate the glass with a 35-23 advantage.
Chance Moore led the Mountaineers with 17 points.
How it Happened
West Virginia made 6-of-7 from the field to take an early 14-10 lead. Momcilovic kept the Cyclones close by hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the contest.
Iowa State briefly took the lead with a Tamin Lipsey 3-pointer, but a 1-of-10 drought from the field hampered the Cyclones and allowed the Mountaineers to move ahead 19-15 with 9:15 left in the first half.
Jamarion Batemon quickly broke the slump with back-to-back 3-pointers to jumpstart a 13-2 run to push the Cyclones ahead 28-21 with five minutes remaining in the opening period. Buchanan also had a pair of buckets in the run, including a dunk from a Jefferson behind-the-back pass.
ISU finished the half strong with an 11-5 run to go into the break with a 41-28 lead. Momcilovic and Lipsey both hit 3-pointers before Lipsey threw a perfect lob pass to Buchanan for a dunk in the final seconds.
The Cyclones increased their lead to 59-38 with 11:34 left in the game behind a 12-2 run. Momcilovic hit two more treys and another bucket for seven points in the run with both 3-pointers off dimes from Jefferson.
WVU briefly trimmed a 23-point deficit to 18 points before Batemon buried his third 3-pointer to move the Cyclones back in front 65-44 with 8:26 left in the contest.
The crowd went wild when Jefferson got his 10th assist on a dish to Momcilovic, his eighth trey of the night, to put ISU up 78-52 with 2:06 remaining.
Key Performer
Jamarion Batemon played just 16 minutes tonight, but his limited time proved to be effective. With the Cyclones down 19-15 and mired in a 1-of-10 shooting slump, Batemon made back-to-back 3-pointers to jumpstart a 26-9 run to close the half. The freshman finished with nine points, making all three of his 3-point attempts.
Notes
Iowa State’s 14-0 start matches the best start in program history (2013-14).
ISU’s 14-game winning streak is tied for the longest in school history.
The Cyclones are 14-16 in Big 12 openers, including three of the last four.
T.J. Otzelberger passed Larry Eustachy for fifth in ISU history with his 43rd conference win at Iowa State.
ISU has won 87 games in the last four years, the sixth-most in program history.
Tamin Lipsey started his 114th game at ISU, tied for the seventh-most in school history.
Lipsey also earned his 83rd win at Iowa State, tied for the sixth-most in school history.
Lipsey buried his 100th career triple on the evening.
He also hit the 1,200-point mark, making him the 26th player in school history to do so.
Nate Heise nabbed his 150th career steal.
He also went over 600 career rebounds.
Up Next
Iowa State travels to Baylor on Wednesday (Jan. 7). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on Peacock.
