KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A night to remember for Iowa State was largely due to sticking to its defense and the team’s lights-out shooting in the second half to roll past Houston 69-41
Right from the jump, the Cyclones were finding their way around Houston’s highly-praised defense. Floaters, 3-pointers, cuts inside, everything was falling for Iowa State to fuel its offense.
While the game started out back and forth throughout the first half, the Cyclones went into halftime with momentum as they had the conference regular season champions on their heels.
Iowa State opened up the second half on a 10-0 run, highlighted a pair of threes from Milan Momcilovic and eventual Most Outstanding Player of the tournament Keshon Gilbert, to extend its lead to 17.
“I think that was really important for us to go on a run first,” Curtis Jones said.
The offensive spark did not stop there for the Cyclones. After the opening run was broken up by a Houston three, Iowa State went a 15-2 run over the next nine minutes.
Iowa State was picking apart the best defense in the nation with ease. Every pass was on point, whether it was finding someone driving inside the lane or finding the open man outside.
To work around the fast-paced defense from Houston that has disrupted teams throughout the season, head coach T.J. Otzelberger focused on keeping the ball moving to open up shots.
“We talked a lot about quick simple ball movement,” Otzelberger said. “Not try to necessarily attack as much as draw both defenders and get the ball on the move.”
Leading 56-28 with 7:35 left, it started to sink into the players’ heads what was happening. Whether it was Momcilovic’s turnaround corner three or the pair of dunks from Hason Ward, the Cyclones were rolling on offense.
“It hit me a few times,” Curtis Jones said. “You thought it hit, and then it really hit and then you knew.”
The fluidity and teamwork that the Cyclones created in their semifinal game against Baylor rolled into the championship matchup with Houston. They finished the game with 17 assists, 10 of which came in the second half, and only nine turnovers.
“Just playing for one another, not being selfish with the ball,” Robert Jones said. “Just being a together team.”
“We put an emphasis on being there for your teammate,” Gilbert said. “You got to be there for your teammate and make a quick pass and make a play after that.” 
While the Cyclones’ offense in the second half gave them momentum, their defense made it almost impossible for the Cougars to put together a comeback.
Iowa State stayed quick in transition and shut down nearly every Houston possession in the second half. With four minutes left to go in the game, the Cyclones had outscored the Cougars 34-9 in the closing half.
“We played to our identity,” Otzelberger said. “We defended, we rebounded, we shared the basketball.
Iowa State’s high-paced offense in the second half extended its lead to 32, which is when the moment started to really sit in with the players.
With the way the team was dominating Houston, the team was so focused on staying consistent that the feeling of the win did not come until late in the game.
“We were just so in the moment,” Tre King said. “I don’t think it sat in for us until the final meeting when we looked up at the score and we were up almost 30.”
Confetti covered the floor at the T-Mobile Center as the Cyclones cut down the nets and celebrated their fifth Big 12 Tournament title in 10 years, and first under Otzelberger.
As the team heads into Selection Sunday with a No. 1 seed up in the air, they take in a night they will never forget.
“We played two great games back-to-back and gonna enjoy this moment a lot,” Tamin Lipsey said.
