AMES — In yet another sold out Hilton Coliseum crowd, this time decked out in all gold, the No. 13 Iowa State men’s basketball team took on the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks for the second time this season along with hopes to stay undefeated at home.

And they did just that beating the Jayhawks 68-53.

“We’re growing as a team,” Jaren Holmes said.

Despite the negative temperatures, students camped out in tents, some since Wednesday night, in order to secure their spot at Hilton Coliseum and be a part of the Hilton magic.

“The fans do a great job getting behind us,” Tamin Lipsey said. “We take advantage of the crowd and the energy they bring.’

Additionally, the Cyclones welcomed back Aljaz Kunc onto the court after being out with a broken finger and not playing in a game since Dec. 18.

Kunc was not in the team’s starting lineup and did not score but had an assist and a steal.

“He’s not a selfish player at all. He cares about winning regardless of him starting or coming off the bench or playing five to ten minutes, it doesn’t matter to him he just wants to be a part of something great,” Holmes said.

The Cyclones came out hot with just minutes into the game. After grabbing the tip-off, Caleb Grill put up a basket immediately which was then followed by a Kansas three-pointer.

Nonetheless, the Cyclones came back for another basket, this time by Osun Osunniyi, who then went to the free throw line and made one of two baskets.

With 16 minutes still remaining in the first half, the Jayhawks went on a four minute scoring drought as Iowa State went on a 7-0 run.

Kansas’ KJ Adams Jr. ended the Jayhawks drought as Iowa State led 9-5 early.

However, the Jayhawks still struggled to make baskets as they made two of ten attempts at the rim following their drought.

With eight minutes remaining in the first half, while they led 17-13, the Cyclones had yet to make a three-point basket. Gabe Kalscheur ended that however after making a three-pointer just seconds after coming out of a timeout.

“Our guys were really dialed in mentally,” head coach T.J Otzelberger said. “I felt like from a mental focus standpoint, this was as strong as we’ve been.”

The Cyclones then saw their second run of the game going on a 6-0 run while Kansas had four turnovers and their second scoring drought over a three minute span.

With two minutes remaining in the first half, Kalscheur put a second three-point basket in at the shot clock buzzer to get the Hilton crowd up on its feet once again.

Going into the half, Iowa State led 33-21 while on a 7-0 one and another three minute scoring drought for Kansas.

Tre King led the Cyclones at the half with ten points just two points behind his season high (12). King finished with ten points.

Fouls and turnovers had been a big part of Cyclone basketball in recent games. However, Iowa State had just four turnovers and six fouls in the first half. Kansas had 11 turnovers and seven fouls in the first half.

“I think that was the biggest thing we did today that we didn’t do in Lawrence. We were much more disruptive,” Holmes said.

The Jayhawks finished with 20 turnovers with the Cyclones at ten.

Kansas started with the ball to start the second half and got a two point basket on the board. After two missed shots by Iowa State, Holmes came back to score a three pointer.
It was then the Jayhawks turn for success as they went on an 8-0 run covering two minutes while Iowa State had a three minute scoring drought. Which was then followed by a 6-0 run for the Cyclones done by Holmes himself.

With ten minutes remaining, the Cyclones found themselves with a 18 point lead over the Jayhawks, 54-36. Iowa State continued to lead until the clock hit zero.

Lipsey had his season high in assists (10) and rebounds (8) along with eight points. Holmes had 15 points, all done in the second half, and Osunniyi had 13.

“There’s nobody that loves being a Cyclones and wants our team to win and cares more than Tamin Lipsey…it’s an honor to coach Tamin,” Otzelberger said.

Lipsey said he is most proud of his assists because that is one of his biggest jobs on the court and it is something he can continue to improve on.

“Today we came out and played desperate,” Holmes said.

Iowa State will travel to West Virginia to play against the Mountaineers on Wednesday.