AMES – In front of a packed house, No. 6 Iowa State bested No. 5 Marquette 81-70 Wednesday night. Guard Keshon Gilbert led the effort with 24 points, which tied his season high.
The game was gritty all night, with blows to the face, bodies flying everywhere, many runs and droughts and the ball having to be swapped out in the late stages of the game.
Gilbert’s roller coaster ride
Gilbert once again led the Cyclones in points, just like against Auburn and Dayton in the Maui Invitational. He did it on a 7-for-15 shooting night from the field and was 2-for-4 from deep.
The ability to get to the free throw line was where Gilbert was at his best. When he attacked the rim and was fouled, he finished up every play.
At the charity stripe, Gilbert was a perfect 8-for-8.
“For the most part, I was getting fouled a lot,” Gilbert said. “My teammates just found me in transition, so we had it all flowing.”
In the first half, Gilbert was unstoppable. He had 18 of his points in the first 20 minutes and looked to be on track to break his career-high, but things stalled in the second half.
Though he didn’t reach the point total, Gilbert displayed something greater: his toughness.
Gilbert took an elbow to the face with a few minutes to go. He started bleeding on the court, which stopped the game momentarily.
After a quick trip to the locker room, Gilbert returned not just to the bench but to the court. He finished out the rest of the game.
“When he came back from that locker room and had his nose taped up and came into our huddle, all of our guys erupted,” head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “That says so much about [Gilbert]. It says how much they think about him, how much he means to our team, how important he is.”
He did it in an unnamed No. 51 jersey.
No matter what number he wears, Gilbert has the ability to make an impact. Gilbert credited his toughness to his past.
“Growing up, having to work and having challenges at a young age, that taught me how to keep on fighting and never give up,” Gilbert said.
“He’s special,” Otzelberger said.
Jackson, Jefferson’s one-two punch
The new frontcourt for Iowa State had arguably its best game against Marquette. Forward Joshua Jefferson recorded his second double-double of the season and center Dishon Jackson came close to recording one himself.
Jackson got the party started with a dunk for the Cyclones’ first points of the game.
“It’s really big, to get the crowd on your side, it’s easier to play out there,” Jefferson said. “Continue to do that and we’ll be alright.”
Jackson shot 4-for-5 from the field and finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Jefferson’s double-double came via 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting and a season-high 12 rebounds. He split his rebounds up evenly, with six in each half.
His ability to both score and rebound is what Otzelberger said kept Iowa State alive and made him a big difference-maker in the game.
“We knew we had to attack at the paint, the rim and then on the glass and [Jefferson] really asserted himself,” Otzelberger said.
Throughout the first seven games, Jackson averages 10.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and Jefferson averages 10.4 points and seven rebounds.
Their chemistry is growing and this performance against a top-10 Marquette team is evidence of that.
“Every game, we take a challenge to be the more physical group out there,” Jefferson said. “Every game, we’re getting more comfortable with each other.”
Offense finds its groove in the first half and at the end
The Cyclones were on fire when shooting in the first half, going 64% from the floor and 57% from 3-point land. Gilbert was the one who had the most first-half points, but the efficiency from other players kept the shooting percentage up.
Namely, it was Jackson and Jefferson who could not miss in the first half. Both shot 4-for-4 and had eight points in the first 20 minutes.
A lot of their scoring came via looks from Gilbert. With seven assists in the game, Gilbert led the Cyclones.
“He works really hard and cares about our program,” Otzelberger said. “He’s the engine that’s driving us right now.”
Marquette stayed within reach despite Iowa State’s scoring abilities and trailed by nine at halftime. That lead slowly went away in the second half.
Shots weren’t falling as frequently for the Cyclones in the second half, as they went 38% from the floor. That allowed the Golden Eagles to get back in the game and eventually tie it at 61 following a 10-0 run.
Unfazed, Iowa State got its offense back in gear and used a 14-0 run to pull away for good. The run began with four points from Gilbert.
“Our guys, there’s a mental focus that we were able to dial into at that point,” Otzelberger said.
