AMES — One player was the match that lit Iowa State’s fiery hot 85-44 win over Green Bay.
Milan Momcilovic.
It was clear from the first shot of the game who was going to be the star of the show. Momcilovic caught a pass and found himself wide open from three.
“You saw right away. I mean, the first basket, the first ball that leaves his hands, you feel like he’s gonna make every shot he takes out there,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said.
Bad decision from Green Bay to leave him wide open, as Momcilovic drilled home his first 3-pointer of the night. The Cyclones were the first on the board, and Momcilovic was the first with points.
“It meant a lot because my confidence was high,” Momcilovic said. “So then obviously I’m just gonna keep hunting my shot—crowd going crazy—so knocking down that first shot was big.”
Not long into the game, Momcilovic got another shot to heat up from beyond the arc. He caught a pass on the move and—while still in motion—put up a shot from three.
As the shot fell, Hilton rose to its feet.
Momcilovic’s threes helped the Cyclones amass a 16-3 lead just five minutes into the game. As a media timeout was taken, the entire coliseum got a breather.
However, it was not long before Momcilovic was back on the court and his electric game continued.
Momcilovic’s early success from three may have surprised the crowd but not his teammates.
“Every day in practice, we just tell him ‘Don’t pass a shot up,’” Keshon Gilbert said. “We beat it into his mind that we want him to shoot every open three, so it translated to the game and didn’t really surprise me.”
Midway through the first half, Momcilovic checked back in. Shortly after, he had another chance at a basket.
Gilbert drove in and kicked the ball back out to Tamin Lipsey. Time was running out on the shot clock. Lipsey needed to find a bucket somewhere and soon.
With Momcilovic still on fire, Lipsey knew who to look for.
Although Momcilovic had a Green Bay defender in close vicinity, he still caught the ball and put up a quick shot. The ball hit nothing but net.
“We’ve got multiple guys that can be that threat from the perimeter,” Otzelberger said. “We’re never gonna focus on that being the only thing or the primary thing. It was great to see Milan [Momcilovic] shoot the ball with such confidence tonight.”
All three shots from Momcilovic from beyond the arc hit home.
Not long after, Momcilovic drilled another one home, his fourth of the night.
With time running down in the first half, Momcilovic had four of Iowa State’s five 3-pointers. Momcilovic was still perfect from beyond the arc.
Hilton was on its feet going into the half because of one player. Momcilovic.
“He’s just gotta continue to stay aggressive,” Otzelberger said. “His teammates believe in him. We all know what he can do, and it … gives us a very formidable weapon there offensively that we know what he can do night in and night out.”
As time was running out in the first half, the Cyclones had one play to end it with a bang. With Momcilovic still in, there was an obvious choice for who was going to take the final shot.
Gilbert inbounded the ball to Lipsey who drove it past halfcourt. Momcilovic wrapped around and got some space.
Momcilovic ended the half the way he started it. He caught the pass from Lipsey and put up a quick shot.
As the buzzer rang, the ball banked off the backboard and sunk through the net. Momcilovic had his fifth three of the half and possibly his first bank shot ever.
“I actually thought it was a swish, but then it was a bank. I think that was one of my first bank shots I ever hit in my life, so it was pretty cool,” Momcilovic said.
Momcilovic knew the shot would fall, even if it was going to bank. Even Otzelberger was confident in getting the ball to Momcilovic.
From the second it left his hand, Otzelberger knew it was good.
“He knows that we count on him to make that shot, and it’s something we believe he can do,” Otzelberger said. “You get on that short clock right there, and you gotta be aggressive. Fortunately, he got it up, and I thought I heard him call bank, so hopefully that was the case.”
As the second half started, Green Bay started to lock down Momcilovic. The Phoenix knew who was a threat from deep, and they knew he was the one to guard.
Halfway through the second half, Momcilovic checked back in. Well rested, he raced past his man and got open.
As Momcilovic caught the pass and put up a shot from three, everyone in Hilton knew it would find its way home.
Momcilovic was up to 18 points, missing just one three all night. He was lights out.
“As a freshman, coming out to Hilton Coliseum is a special place,” Momcilovic said. “I played well, but it was just a special feeling to be out there with the teammates and with the crowd. It’s gonna be a special year because we’ve got a special group.”
Momcilovic ended his night as the leading scorer on the team with 18 points while shooting 6-for-7 from three. He also tacked on seven rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.
Not a bad start for the true freshman.
