AMES − Iowa State men’s basketball picked up a marquee win Wednesday night.
The No. 5 Cyclones fended off a late push by fourth-ranked Marquette to win, 81-70, during the Big 12-Big East Battle at Hilton Coliseum.
Marquette, who trailed for the majority of the game, had a game-tying 10-0 run midway through the second half. But the Cyclones responded with a 14-0 run to pull away and ice the game.
Keshon Gilbert had a game-high 24 points, with seven assists. Joshua Jefferson had a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double. Curtis Jones had 14 points and five boards, while Dishon Jackson chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds.
Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s win:
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Iowa State learns from its past mistakes, closes out against Marquette
Iowa State, once again, proved it belonged with the top teams in college basketball. But it didn’t show up on Wednesday just for a moral victory.
The Cyclones let a game slip away against Auburn, squandering an 18-point lead, and losing to the Tigers on a last-second tip-in during the Maui Invitational.
“We just learned from our mistakes and maybe move on, build on the past,” Jefferson said. “Don’t continue to make the same mistakes. I think we just continue to do better every single day.”
For a moment, it looked like there might be a case of deja vu, as Marquette stormed back into the game and tied things up, 61-61, with 9:07 remaining.
The Cyclones shook off a six-minute stretch where they didn’t make any shots and responded with a crucial 14-0 run to reclaim the lead and seal the game. There was no letdown this time around.
“We were in a similar position in the Auburn game, when we were up, and then they came back and we reclaimed the lead — which is hard to do — and then we weren’t able to finish,” said coach T.J. Otzelberger. “Our guys, from that experience, know that good teams are going to keep coming.
“I felt like we had a more concerted effort defensively, guard the dribble, keep it out of the paint. … Our guys, there’s a mental focus that we’re able to dial into at that point to put ourselves in a good position.”
Keshon Gilbert continues his hot, tough play
Despite taking two hard blows to the face that drew blood over the last week, Gilbert remained a leading force for the Cyclones.
He took a hard hit to the face during the Maui Invitational, and an elbow to the face Wednesday night. This time, it required him to leave the game for a few minutes late in the second half.
Despite that, he returned and still produced down the stretch, providing a statistical and emotional boost.
“I hate for him to keep taking those type of shots,” Otzelberger said. “… When he came back from that locker room and had his nose taped up and came in our huddle, all of our guys erupted. There was a smile on their faces.
“They were all cheering and clapping, just innately and that says so much about Keshon. It says how much they think about him, how much he means to our team, how important he is, and how much we all recognize how quickly something like that happens — he bounces back and has such great focus on the task at hand.”
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Gilbert has recorded 20-point games in three of his last four outings. Since the start of the Maui Invitational, he’s shot a combined 26-of-41 (63.4%) overall and 4-of-8 (50.0%) from long range. He is also 30-for-33 (90.9%) from the free-throw line and is averaging 4.5 assists per game in that four-game stretch.
“Just being aggressive, finding gaps,” Gilbert said. “My teammates found me in transition, so we had it rolling.”
Cyclones’ defense by Heise, ‘banged up’ Lipsey key in win
Outside of Marquette’s comeback run, the Golden Eagles had a hard time operating against the Cyclones’ defense.
Iowa State limited Marquette to shooting 27-of-70 (38.6%) and 11-of-31 (35.5%) from 3-point range.
In the second half, the Cyclones held the Golden Eagles to 12-of-36 (33.3%) overall and 4-for-15 (26.7%) from deep.
Kam Jones and Stevie Mitchell entered Wednesday’s contest as the Golden Eagles’ leading scorers. They combined for an average of 35.5 points per game.
Jones had 14 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, but shot just 6-for-21 (28.6%). Joplin had just eight points on 3-of-13 shooting (23.1%).
“There was great focus most of the first half,” Otzelberger said of his team’s defensive execution. “There was a couple of shots they got late in the first half that we could have been more dialed in on. They had some stretches where they went on runs, and Kam Jones was great making plays and setting guys up.
“Ultimately, Nate Heise, the job he did defensively in the second half, specifically guarding Jones, he was phenomenal. He was physical. He was competitive. I thought Nate was a big-time difference maker for us defensively down the stretch.”
Tamin Lipsey, despite being banged up and only scoring one point, was an impact player defensively.
“His defense, I’ll put him against anybody in the country,” Otzelberger said of Lipsey. “His competitive spirit, his focus, truly special that way. … When he’s out there he just has a command and a demeanor, a veteran experience how he carries himself. He’s banged up right now. He’s not anywhere near 100%, and he lays it on the line and does whatever we need to be effective.
“I thought he did great tonight. You can’t look at the stats and say, ‘Oh he had one point or four assists, didn’t have to do with anything.’ He is a very impactful player. the confidence he gives our other guys, the plays that he makes — hopefully we can get him healthy so he can be the player that we all know he can be and perform at that level.”
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 3 takeaways from Iowa State basketball win over Marquette
