AMES – For the 10th time in a row, No. 3 Iowa State won a basketball game. The latest win came in an 82-59 contest against Utah Tuesday night at Hilton Coliseum.

An early 11-0 run from the Utes was thwarted by an even bigger 21-3 run for the Cyclones to close out the first half. That was all they needed to stay in front and rise to 3-0 in Big 12 play and 13-1 overall.

Early drought causes problems, big run fixes them

Basketball is a game of runs, and the first half was no different Tuesday night.

Though the Cyclones got off to a hot start, fueled by a mini 6-0 run, Utah would not be denied early. With just under 13 minutes to go in the first half, the Cyclone offense went dormant for nearly five minutes.

An 11-0 run for Utah during that span gave the Utes their first advantage of the game. Of the 11 points, nine were from 3-point baskets. Utah’s Gabe Madsen had eight of the points during that time and finished with 20.

“There’s been times where our mental focus, attention to detail throughout the game there’s been slippage,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “It was really important that we dial in and finish the half the right way.”

Part of the problem was due to Iowa State center Dishon Jackson’s two early fouls. He played the first stint of the game and sat after his first foul.

Not even 30 seconds into his second stint, he was called for his second foul and only played for three more minutes in the first half. Jackson ended the game having played just 10 minutes after he finished with four fouls.

With forward Brandton Chatfield filling in for a longer time than usual, a few mistakes were made, mainly through turnovers. But, Chatfield still made some big effort plays and did what he needed to do.

He even attempted a 3-pointer later on.

The drought finally came to an end after senior guard Keshon Gilbert drained a 3-pointer off an assist from sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic.

That got the team and the crowd energized again.

What followed was a 12-0 run for the Cyclones that went for nearly four minutes. Gilbert’s 3-pointer started it, and fellow guards Tamin Lipsey and Curtis Jones also contributed to the run, as Lipsey converted four free throws and Jones with a 3 of his own and another mid-range jumper.

The run ended up stretching over the final 8:03 of the first half, with Iowa State outscoring Utah 21-3 in that time. It allowed the Cyclones to take a 38-25 lead into the break.

“We felt like we needed to ramp [our defense] up later in that first half,” Lipsey said. “I feel like we did a good job of getting stops. They’re a great team offensively.”

Turnovers fueled the offense

Transition points are a big part of the Iowa State offense night in and night out. An easy way to get transition buckets is off of turnovers, something the defense is known to cause.

The Cyclones forced the Utes into 18 turnovers. 25 points came off of those.

“It’s important that we keep our urgency on winning the possession,” Otzelberger said. “When I’m talking to our team, I’m making sure they understand how important every single possession is.”

On the season, Iowa State turns its opponents over an average of 15.6 times per game. Reaching that amount each game and getting points that way will be a pivotal part of every night for both the Cyclone offense and defense.

A good chunk of the turnovers Utah committed happened throughout the 21-3 run, and nearly all of Iowa State’s points off turnovers came in the first half.

Twenty of the first-half points came off of turnovers. That stretch turned the tide of the game.

“That’s half the points right there,” Jones said. “The defense plays a big part in getting us out and running in transition.”

Jones stays unstoppable and a 20-piece for Lipsey

Jones, known as the sixth starter for the Cyclones, has been lights out shooting throughout the season. Tuesday was no different, as the senior went for 23 points to lead scoring once again.

It’s difficult to make 10 shots in one game, but Jones did against the Utes. He went 10-for-17 from the field and 3-for-7 from 3-point range and added six assists. The rest of the Cyclones combined made 17 shots.

That ability to shoot confidently has been something Jones has had for a long time, but his teammates seem to be the ones who think the most of his abilities.

“[Jones] does it at a high level,” Lipsey said. “Every time he shoots one of those floaters or pull-ups, it’s going in. I think I’m more confident in his shots than he is.”

“Even though I’m very confident in myself, I’m hard on myself as well,” Jones said.

Lipsey was in a rut when it came to scoring throughout the non-conference slate. But he tied his season best with 20 points against Utah and kept his defensive intensity up with a season-high seven rebounds and grabbed two steals.

“[Lipsey] was particularly amazing,” Otzelberger said. “Guarding the basketball, hunting down rebounds, driving the ball for us, getting to the foul line, making plays. I felt like it was his best game probably this year. His mentality set the tone for the game for everybody else on both sides of the basketball.”

However, it was Lipsey’s ability to drive, get contact and go to the free-throw line that was the biggest part of his game.

Lipsey went 11-for-14 from the charity stripe, a season-high for him in both free throws made and attempted in a single game. More than half of his points came from the free-throw line.

“The aggressiveness just opens up the floor and opens up our whole offense,” Lipsey said. “I was super aggressive. [Otzelberger] has been telling me to just play through the pain, just trust it. Obviously, I got to the line a lot.”

The Iowa State backcourt is one of the best in the country. Jones and Lipsey came out as the biggest benefactors from Utah’s defense, as the Utes tried to shut down Gilbert. Though it took him a while to get going, Gilbert still finished with 15 points and five rebounds.

“Regardless of how people choose to defend us, we have a rhythm and a flow and a way that we play offense,” Otzelberger said.