CINCINNATI, OHIO – A late comeback effort fell short for No. 2 Iowa State (16-2, 3-2 Big 12) on Saturday afternoon, as the Cyclones dropped their second straight contest and fell to Cincinnati (10-8, 2-3 Big 12) at Fifth Third Arena, 79-70.
cyclones.com
A career-high 34 points from Milan Momcilovic weren’t enough to make up for ISU’s struggles on offense on the day. ISU turned the ball over 12 times, and Cincinnati took full advantage, scoring 20 points off of Cyclone turnovers to help spring the upset.
Momcilovic had a game-high with his 34 points, knocking down eight triples – tying his personal best. Joshua Jefferson chipped in 16 points with nine boards and five assists, while Tamin Lipsey had seven points to go along with seven rebounds and a quartet of dimes.
Four Bearcats finished in double-figures, with Day Day Thomas having a team-high 19 points. Jizzle James would score 15 while both Jalen Celestine and Sencire Harris finished with 12. Baba Miller had eight points and 12 boards, with five of them being offensive.
The two teams shot the same percentage (43%) from the floor, and ISU owned the 3-point shooting edge too, as it shot 43% from beyond the arc. The Bearcats converted on their free throws, though, and scored 15 more points than ISU off the bench.
How it Happened
In what’s become a theme in Big 12 play, ISU started the first half slow, trailing the Bearcats by 11, 19-8, by the under-12 timeout. Cincinnati used a 14-0 run, which was spearheaded by three Celestine 3-pointers, to take the lead.
The 11-point lead would still hold with three minutes remaining in the first half before Iowa State closed the half strong. Seven straight points from Momcilovic (of his eight points in the first half) pulled ISU within four, 31-35, as the teams hit intermission.
Iowa State continued its momentum into the second stanza, as it tied the game up at 38-all just two minutes in. Cincinnati struck back with force, though, regaining all momentum and fighting for a lead that would expand to as much as 17 points with 7:37 on the clock.
A 14-2 ISU run started to make things interesting as the Cyclones trimmed it to a five-point game, thanks in large part to Momcilovic, who had 12 of the 14 points.
The Bearcats had one final push, fending off ISU’s comeback attempt as they would go on to win by nine points.
Key Performer
Milan Momcilovic gave it his all in the second half, scoring 26 of his 34 points and nearly scoring half of the team’s total point output. He hit seven of his eight threes in the second stanza and went a perfect 5-5 from the line during the stint. His 34 points are the second-most by a player under T.J. Otzelberger at ISU.
Notes
Tamin Lipsey moved into 20th in school history with his 118th career game played.
Lipsey is now 23rd in school annals for scoring, passing both Naz Mitrou-Long and Gary Thompson (1,255).
Dominick Nelson played in his 50th career game.
Milan Momcilovic is now tied for the 19th-most 3-pointers in a single season by a Cyclone with 71.
He also moved into fifth all-time in the school rankings, passing both Dedric Willoughby and Georges Niang (195).
He moved to 33rd in school scoring with 1,051.
Joshua Jefferson pulled down his 400th board as a Cyclone.
Up Next
The Cyclones will return to Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday, January 20, to host the UCF Knights after two straight games on the road. Tuesday’s contest is set to tip off at 6 p.m. and will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
