OMAHA, Neb. — Hason Ward put on a show for Hilton West, as his energetic dunks came at timely spots in Iowa State’s 82-65 win over South Dakota State to cut off all Jackrabbit momentum and keep the Cyclones rolling.
Ward has been slowly getting hotter and hotter as the games roll on, culminating in the Big 12 Tournament when he put the rims on watch through all three games. In the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Ward bullied the rims again as he slammed the ball home consistently through the night.
With Ward’s athleticism and willingness to put his body on the line for baskets, Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger was not surprised Ward would eventually have a game like he did against the Jackrabbits.
“He certainly had as big of an impact on that game right when he came in as anybody did,” Otzelberger said. “Those lobs, and the way he can go get them at 11-and-a-half, 12 feet, and our guys look for him, it’s special.”
For Ward though, he does not think what he does is special. He goes out and plays the same every game.
When the opportunities present themselves, he takes them without second thought.
“In my head, I’m just, ‘Dunk everything,’ for real,” Ward said.
The game started slow for South Dakota State, as the Jackrabbits only knocked down one shot through the first five minutes. On the other side, Iowa State could not have asked for a hotter start.
With a 10-point lead early, the Cyclones started to have some fun on offense. Keshon Gilbert snatched the ball out of the hands of a Jackrabbit and sprinted down the court.
As Gilbert busted through two South Dakota State defenders, he tossed the ball up behind his head and in came Ward.
As Ward slammed the ball home, the crowd lit up.
“He can catch it at 11, 12 feet and then dunk it on people. I mean, that gets us hype and gets the crowd hype too,” Milan Momcilovic said.
On the next possession, Ward was waiting again. As he made a dash to the basket, Tamin Lipsey tossed the ball to him for the dunk.
Right after, Curtis Jones decided to get in on the fun. He lobbed a ball to Ward over a Jackrabbit defender.
As Ward barrelled to the basket, he grabbed the ball high out of the air and slammed it in over the defender. As Ward fell to the floor, the whistle blew and CHI Health Center exploded in cheers.
Ward connected on his third-straight alley-oop dunk and drew a foul in the process. The Cyclones were up by 14.
“Our guards can get off the ball screen and just throw it up, and he’ll be there to catch it,” Momcilovic said. “I haven’t thrown any to him quite yet this year, hopefully…soon.”
Seven minutes into the first half, the Cyclones still had not missed a shot. The energy flowing through the team kept building with every successful basket or dunk.
“It feels good man,” Ward said. “It gives energy. The crowd get into it. My teammates get into it. They love when I do it, and I just feed off of that energy. It’s a good feeling.”
As time winded down in the first half, the game started getting closer.
South Dakota State was surging and looking for an upset. With four minutes left in the first half, Iowa State’s lead was under 10.
Then Lipsey tossed another ball in the air.
In came Ward who threw down another powerful dunk. Ward’s energy was on display again and was the push Iowa State needed to close the half on top.
“He’s got great energy and motor, and he can go get that basketball at almost 12 feet, which no one else can get to,” Otzelberger said.
Although the Jackrabbits cut the lead to four early in the second half, that quickly did not matter as the Cyclone strung together a 17-3 run.
Near the end of the run, Ward caught another lob from Gilbert and slammed it home. The whole team was getting into the excitement from the dunks and at that point in the game, all hope the Jackrabbits had was gone.
As Ward sat in the locker room after the game, he said he did not think he would end with five dunks. He knew he had it in him but did not see that game coming the way it did.
With the amount Ward was flying around the court, some wear and tear would have been expected, but there were just a few minor bumps and bruises. That was no surprise to his teammates who know Ward is built different.
“He built for that, man,” Robert Jones said.
Although Ward came down on his ankle awkwardly at the end of the game, he was sure it was fine. Otzelberger said he had been dealing with some ankle soreness in Kansas City, Missouri, and the amount that Ward was jumping all over the court just caught up to him.
By Saturday, Ward will be ready to get back on the court. His energy will be much needed for the Cyclones going forward, according to Otzelberger.
“You can’t recreate someone with his fast-twitch athleticism, his motor and his desire to go get the basketball well above the rim,” Otzelberger said.
