AMES – Behind a team-high of 17 points, senior guard Keshon Gilbert led No. 5 Iowa State to an 83-44 win in the season opener Monday night against Mississippi Valley State.
Junior guard Tamin Lipsey followed Gilbert in points with 16, which pushed him past 700 in his career. Along with the points, he had three steals, contributing to the Cyclones’ 24 total turnovers forced.
The steals bring him up to No. 8 all-time in Iowa State history, surpassing Ron Harris, who holds the No. 9 spot with 169 steals. Now, Lipsey has 172 steals all-time, and that number will only grow.
“[Lipsey] is amazing,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “The extra effort plays, how he flies around, puts his body on the line for his teammates, our program so that certainly showed up.”
Lipsey was everywhere he needed to be against the Delta Devils and put his body on the line a few times in an effort to come up with big defensive plays.
“It’s a physical game,” Lipsey said.
To get his 16 points, Lipsey shot 5-for-7 from the floor, 1-for-2 from 3-point range and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. Behind Lipsey in points were sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic and Saint Mary’s transfer Joshua Jefferson with 10 each.
What may have come as a surprise to some was the fact that Jefferson started and fifth-year senior guard Curtis Jones found his way into the starting five over Momcilovic.
“That group’s had great energy together,” Otzelberger said. “[Momcilovic’s] been great in practice as we’ve brought him in as a sub in that group. It’s what we’re going with right now.”
Jones had a quiet night, scoring five points and shooting 2-for-7. The best 3-point shooter for the Cyclones a season ago, Jones struggled from the perimeter, going just 1-for-4 in the season opener.
Off the bench, Momcilovic’s 10 points came from two jumpers and two 3-pointers. Momcilovic was the only Cyclone to make more than one three in the game.
Jefferson made an early impact with four of the first 11 Iowa State points and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor in the first half. All 10 of his points came in the first half, but he continued to make an impact in other ways.
On defense, Jefferson had a team-high four steals and was tied for the most rebounds of the Cyclones with six. Center Dishon Jackson and Jones each had six rebounds as well.
“It felt good to finally be at Hilton, [the] fans are amazing,” Jefferson said. “[Otzelberger] continues to emphasize getting the ball to the post.”
The new frontcourt of Jefferson and Jackson showed its capability, but given that this was just the first game of the season, there is plenty of room to grow and have the duo become more comfortable with each other.
“[Jackson and Jefferson] did a great job getting us started,” Otzelberger said. “They’re both skilled players and can score the basketball even better than what we saw tonight. Was pleased with how they played for the most part.”
Jefferson started at the No. 5 spot for Iowa State and, along with the six rebounds, shot 3-for-4 and scored nine points. His most notable score was his dunk early in the game.
Right at the end, senior Conrad Hawley entered the game, right on queue with the loud Hilton crowd. However, he exited early due to an apparent shoulder injury. Otzelberger believes Hawley will be good to go despite the incident.
“It sounds like his shoulder popped out, and he popped it back in,” Otzelberger said. “He’s a tough kid.”
