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  • No. 3 Iowa State Bounces Back From Its Second Loss Of The Season To Drub UCF, 108-83

No. 3 Iowa State Bounces Back From Its Second Loss Of The Season To Drub UCF, 108-83

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Basketball

Following its second loss of the season, No. 3 Iowa State (16-2, 6-1 Big 12) emphatically bounced back on Tuesday evening, thrashing UCF (13-6, 3-4 Big 12) by a score of 108-83.

With the win, Iowa State moved to 16-2 for the fourth time in program history. The 108 points are the most ever scored by a Cyclone team under T.J. Otzelberger and the first 100-plus point outing against a conference foe since 2001 when the team did so twice. It is the 14th time that ISU has scored 100-plus points against a league opponent. 108 total points is tied for the fifth-most points ever put forward against a conference opponent.

Multiple Cyclones had big outings, but none were more impressive than Joshua Jefferson. The Saint Mary's transfer put up a career-high 30 points, shooting 9-14 from the field and burying a season-high three triples. Jefferson not only scored a personal best, but he also had a balanced game, grabbing seven boards, dishing five assists and nabbing four steals.

Flanking Jefferson's career output were guards Keshon Gilbert (21) and Curtis Jones (19) who feasted on the UCF backcourt. Jones tied a personal best, grabbing eight boards, while notching his 20th straight game of double-figure scoring in conference play – the longest such streak by any Big 12 played in the last five seasons. Gilbert had his fourth 20-plus point outing of the year and first in conference play with a game-high eight assists and three steals.

Also having impressive outings for the Cyclones was Demarion Watson, who scored a season-high 11 points and pulled down five boards. Tamin Lipsey went for nine points with five boards and three steals. Nate Heise matched Tamin's nine points and he tied Jefferson for the game-high in steals with four.

As for UCF, UTSA transfer Jordan Ivy-Curry had a team-best 24 points, as the senior went 6-of-9 from downtown. UNLV transfer Keyshawn Hall was the only other Knight in double figures, as he finished with 13. The 108 points were the second-most UCF had given up all season, having previously allowed 109 to LSU in triple overtime.

How it Happened
Iowa State got off to a quick start, racing out to a 15-11 lead, thanks in large part to its work on the boards as it outrebounded UCF 8-1 during that early span. The Knights then proceeded to rattle off a 7-0 run as it locked down on defense, holding ISU scoreless for the next two minutes.

In fact, the Knight defense did a good job for most of the first half, keeping UCF in the game. The Knights turned ISU over eight times in the first 12 minutes and found themselves down just two, 28-26, despite ISU shooting hot out of the gates.

Iowa State had one of its most impressive closings to a half in the final eight minutes from there, as the team stopped turning the ball over and proceeded to go on a 26-10 run to close the half and open up an 18-point halftime lead.

As part of their early half success, Iowa State was able to connect on six triples after going just 1-17 at West Virginia over the weekend. Watson hit the first one of the game, and ISU piled on two of the six in the final eight-minute stretch. Jones, Gilbert and Jefferson were all in double figures at the break.

Coming out of half, UCF was on fire, starting 5-of-6 from the field and burying its first four triples. The Knights were unable to cut into the Cyclone lead much though, as they didn't back up the made baskets with stops, as the two teams traded baskets early in the second half.

After turning it over eight times in the first 12 minutes of the first half, ISU turned it over just twice in the second half.

ISU's 18-point halftime lead was trimmed to as low as 11 in the second stanza, but never went back into single digits, as the Cyclones eventually pushed it to as large as 27. UCF attempted to press the experienced Cyclone backcourt, but ISU handled the pressure and converted more baskets, helping run the total to the team's season-high.

Key Performers
The bench spark that both Nate Heise and Demarion Watson provided today can't go unnoticed. The two combined to score 20 points, grab eight rebounds, nab five steals and deny a pair of shots. Both hit their first threes of conference play today as they helped ISU take the lid off the basket following the WVU outing.

Notes

  • Iowa State is now 30-9 all-time as a Top 5 team.
  • Curtis Jones tied Lucca Staiger for 16th most made threes in school history
  • Tamin Lipsey moved into sole possession of the second-most steals in program history today, surpassing both Justus Thigpen and Jeff Hornacek.
    • He has 212 total steals.
    • He also started his 87th game at ISU, tied for the 20th most starts in school history.
  • Keshon Gilbert nabbed his 100th career steal at Iowa State today.

Up Next
Iowa State is back in action this weekend, in the first leg of a two-game Arizona swing. The Cyclones will play Arizona State on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 1 p.m. in a game that will be streamed on ESPN+.