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  • No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones Deal No. 5 Marquette Its First Loss Of The 2024-25 Season

No. 6 Iowa State Cyclones Deal No. 5 Marquette Its First Loss Of The 2024-25 Season

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Basketball

Hello Hilton Magic. No. 6 Iowa State (6-1, 0-0 Big 12) held No. 5 Marquette (8-1, 0-0 Big East) scoreless for nearly six minutes in the latter half of the second half en route to an 81-70 victory Wednesday night in Hilton Coliseum. It was ISU's 11th triumph over an AP top-10 team in the T.J. Otzelberger era.

The Golden Eagles had erased a 12-point second-half deficit and tied the game until the Cyclones mounted a decisive 14-0 run to take control and capture their 22nd-straight victory in Hilton Coliseum, tying for the second-longest homecourt winning streak in school history.

There were plenty of heroes for the Cyclones, but none were bigger than Keshon Gilbert, who notched his third 20-point outing in his last four games with 24 points. Gilbert also dished out a team-high seven assists despite briefly exiting the game after taking a blow to the face, which left him bloodied.

Gilbert, who jumpstarted ISU's late run with a pull-up jumper, is averaging 21.5 points in his last four games.

Joshua Jefferson came up big for the Cyclones with 15 points and 12 boards, his second double-double of the season, and Curtis Jones added 14 points, including a deep 3-pointer that ignited the Cyclone crowd late in the second half.

Royce Parham led the Golden Eagles with 17 points.

How it Happened
Iowa State held a 16-7 lead with a quick 8-0 burst in the early moments of the game. Nate Heise got a baseline dunk off a nice feed from Gilbert, followed by a Gilbert bucket to give the Cyclones the advantage.

Gilbert helped stretch the lead to 29-17 with three baskets, including a 3-pointer, at the 7:50 mark of the first half. However, back-to-back 3-pointers from Demarius Owens and Stevie Mitchell kept the Golden Eagles within range at 29-23 moments later.

Both teams began to heat up. Jefferson had a pair of baskets, including a putback, to give the Cyclones a 42-30 lead, but MU kept firing away from downtown, making multiple treys to cut the ISU lead to 42-35 with under two minutes remaining in the first half.

Gilbert made four free throws in the final minute to allow the Cyclones to go into the break with a 46-37 lead.

Gilbert had 18 first-half points as the Cyclones shot 64.0 percent from the floor. Marquette drilled seven 3-pointers in the opening period.

Iowa State moved out ahead by as many as 12 points multiple times early in the second half, but MU always had an answer. A Brandton Chatfield basket made it 56-44 ISU until a Parham trey and a pair of charity shots from Mitchell closed the gap to 56-49 with 14:23 left in the contest.

A 10-0 run by the Golden Eagles quickly erased the Cyclone lead, as Kam Jones scored seven points in the flurry to knot the score at 61-61 with under 10 minutes remaining.

This time, the Cyclones responded. Gilbert started a 14-0 run with a pair of free throws and a pull-up jumper, which ended a six-minute Cyclone drought without a field goal. Jones then buried a long trey, and Jefferson converted a conventional 3-point play as ISU was back in front 71-61 with 4:31 remaining.

Parham ended the huge ISU run with a basket down low, as the Cyclones held the Golden Eagles scoreless for close to six minutes as they jumped out to a 75-61 lead.

Key Performers
Joshua Jefferson, along with fellow post Dishon Jackson, were key in giving the Cyclones the advantage in the paint. The duo combined for 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field as both notched double figures in scoring with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Jefferson also led the Cyclones in rebounds with 12.

Notes

  • Joshua Jefferson eclipsed 400 career points and now sits at 411.
    • Recorded his second double-double of the season.
  • Tamin Lipsey recorded his 100th career offensive rebound.
    • He also moved into No. 13 all-time on the ISU assist list with four dimes tonight.
  • Curtis Jones nabbed his 500th point in an ISU uniform tonight.
  • Keshon Gilbert canned his 75th career triple tonight and now has 76.
    • Gilbert also tallied his 200th field goal in an ISU uniform this evening.

Up Next
Iowa State remains at home on Sunday in a 5 p.m. CT clash against Jackson State on ESPN+.