AMES – For the first time in 40 years, Iowa State and Morgan State played a basketball game against one another. Much like the first meeting, the Cyclones ran away with the win in a 99-72 contest Sunday.

Fueled by a few large scoring runs and a team-high 20 points from junior guard Tamin Lipsey, the win means that No. 3 Iowa State ends the non-conference portion of the schedule 10-1.

“We’re feeling very confident,” Lipsey said. “Our connectedness together, our offensive game, defensive game, we’re ready for the challenge and competition [of the Big 12].”

A topsy-turvy first half

Iowa State started the game as the aggressor. Thanks to a 9-0 run and eight early points from Gilbert, the Cyclones had a 17-3 lead after the first five minutes.

At that time, Iowa State spread the ball around and challenged at the rim defensively.

But right after that strong start, Iowa State let off the gas. Morgan State took advantage of the carelessness the Cyclones showed, whether it was not fully grabbing rebounds or through turnovers.

“We knew coming into the game that they’re a team that likes to get out in transition, they’re one of the faster playing teams in college basketball,” Lipsey said. “They did a good job of being active on the defensive side.”

A 13-3 run pulled the Bears within four points of the Cyclones midway through the first half. It was uncharacteristic of Iowa State, but a slow start did plague the Cyclones in their previous game against Omaha.

Once things settled down, Iowa State went on an 11-0 run in the span of just over two minutes. That effort kept the Cyclones in front by a comfortable margin through the end of the half.

Iowa State used a 6-0 run in the final 1:39 to take a 50-34 halftime lead, but the Cyclones weren’t satisfied. Though they shot 56% from the field in the first half, 3-pointers struggled to fall and the defense was not where they wanted it to be.

“Consistency is going to be something that we need to continue to work on on both ends,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said.

Block party

The highlight of the Cyclone defense was its ability to block shots. Morgan State scored 42 points in the paint and had some taken away from the blocks inside.

“We’ve got to be better,” Otzelberger said. “The ball came to the post too much. We didn’t do a great enough job when it came in there being as physical as we’d have liked. We also weren’t as physical with our rim defense.”

Iowa State had a season-high 11 blocks against the Bears. Senior center Dishon Jackson led the charge with five, an individual season-high for him.

“The activity level is good, I felt like [Jackson] specifically made some plays on the backline,” Otzelberger said. “His activity level defensively is going to continue to be important. As big as he is, people are going to try and challenge him.”

Junior forward Joshua Jefferson added three blocks, senior guard Curtis Jones had two and redshirt senior forward Brandton Chatfield had one.

Those blocked shots energized the crowd and the team alike, as four of the blocked shots led to points on the other end for the Cyclones in the first half. Iowa State ended the day with 23 points off of turnovers and 17 fast break points. 

Jackson, the leader in blocks, finished his day with 11 points and three rebounds while going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.

Six double-digit scorers again

It’s no secret that Iowa State’s offense was strong in the non-conference games. Five players entered the Morgan State game averaging over 10 points per game.

Against the Bears, six players scored in double figures. Lipsey was the leader with 20 on 8-for-9 shooting, and senior guards Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert followed with 19 and 18 points respectively.

Like Lipsey, Gilbert also went 8-for-9 from the field.

Jackson’s 12 points led the frontcourt in scoring, while Jefferson scored 11 and had 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Half of Jackson’s points came from the free throw line, and five of Jefferson’s did as well.

Sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic finished out the double-digit scorers with 10 points.

“That’s what we do,” Momcilovic said. “Expect to see five, six guys in double-digits every game. It’s a good balance.”