KANSAS CITY, Mo. — No. 12 Iowa State began its time at the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City in the second round with a matchup against Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Heading into the game, the Cyclones had previous experience beating the Bearcats when Iowa State took them down 81-70 in Hilton Coliseum on Feb. 15.
The prior experience, along with the domination on the boards and in the paint, contributed to the Cyclones’ 76-56 win on Wednesday, which now moves Iowa State into the quarterfinals, where it will take on BYU.
The two main factors into the Cyclones’ powerful play inside came from “the Presidents”, the duo of senior center Dishon Jackson and junior forward Joshua Jefferson.
Jefferson led Iowa State in scoring with 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the field, including three free throws, while grabbing eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.
But while Jefferson led the Cyclones’ scoring efforts, it was Jackson who made the biggest impact on the glass, as he grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds to lead Iowa State’s domination on the glass.
On the day, the Cyclones outrebounded Cincinnati 41-23, and it was the first time Iowa State had reached the 40 total rebound mark since Feb. 11, when the Cyclones grabbed the same rebounds in a trip to UCF.
Four of Jackson’s rebounds came off the offensive glass, which helped contribute to Iowa State’s 15 second-chance points that played a big part in the 20-point win.
Along with the day on the boards, Jackson also reached double figures with a 10-point effort to cap off his game against the Bearcats.
Jackson credited his success to the daily practice habits that the Cyclones go through every day that helped him obtain his second double-double with Iowa State.
“Our practice habits,” Jackson said. “We do the hard work every day, so we just went out and showed what we do every day.”
While the day on the boards played a key aspect in the Cyclones’ big win, another big factor came from the points in the paint.
Both Jackson and Jefferson led the charge in this category as well, as the Cyclones went on to score 36 points from the paint, the highest since Iowa State had its 41 rebounding effort in Orlando against the Knights on Feb. 11.
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger praised the duo for their efforts not just in one aspect of the game but in multiple ways that helped keep the Cyclones in Kansas City for at least another day.
“These two guys were resilient,” Otzelberger said. “Dishon, I felt like he took over the game in parts, and it was on the glass and in the paint. Defensively, he made some really impactful plays. Joshua has been our best rebounder all year long and does a great job of not only blocking out, but chasing them down.”
“These two guys controlled the paint,” Otzelberger said. “They had a toughness and physicality that really led our team [Wednesday].”
Along with the President’s duo, junior guard Tamin Lipsey and sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic would round out the Iowa State scorers in double figures, as they had 16 and 13, respectively.
But, while all looked right for the Cyclones, they still failed to keep the turnover number in check, as they committed 17 turnovers on the day. This is the second most turnovers that Iowa State has had in a game, but it will look to clean it up as its quest for a second consecutive Big 12 crown continues.
“A lot of them were on ourselves,” Lipsey said. “Cincinnati pressured a little bit, but I think it’s just staying patient and moving the ball is super important.”
