AMES — After dropping its first Big 12 conference game of the season at West Virginia, the now-No. 3 Iowa State Cyclones looked to bounce back at home Tuesday night against UCF.

The loss looked to have lit a flame under them, as Iowa State would go on to score a season-high 108 points in a 108-83 rout over the Knights in Hilton Coliseum.

Jefferson sets new career-high

Leading the charge in this high-scoring showout was junior forward Joshua Jefferson, as he put up a career-high 30 points over UCF.

Throughout this season, the Saint Mary’s transfer had been known to do a little bit of everything as a Swiss army knife, and he continued to do just that by putting up his best scoring night, not only as a Cyclone but as a collegiate basketball player on 9-of-14 field goal shooting, 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Along with the shooting from the field, Jefferson contributed nine points from the free throw line on 14 attempts, as he continues to be one of the top Iowa State players in that category.

“We’re seeing, with every game, how he continues to impact winning in different ways,” head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “You could tell tonight he had confidence in his shot and put the work in.”

“He’s really got the whole package on offense as a big man,” senior guard Curtis Jones said.

While his offensive side shined the brightest Tuesday, his presence elsewhere was still very evident, as Jefferson added seven rebounds, four of which were offensive, five assists, one block and tied for a team-high four steals with senior guard Nate Heise.

The eight steals combined from Jefferson and Heise contributed to a 16-steal night, which tied for a season-high but became a conference-high after doing it against the Knights.

“We take pride on the defensive side of the ball,” Jefferson said. “Knowing that it was in our back pocket really helped.” 

Night in and night out, Jefferson continues to do a little bit of everything to help the Cyclones achieve their goals but still accredits his teammates for everything that he has accomplished.

“All the praise to my teammates, they put me in the right positions to score,” Jefferson said. 

Gilbert and Jones provide support

While Jefferson was the highlight of the night, other added efforts helped contribute to the high-scoring affair by Iowa State, and that came from Jones and senior guard Keshon Gilbert.

Jones continued his hot streak with 19 points on 8-of-19 field goal shooting, but struggled to get a lot more of his 3s to go down, as he went 2-for-7.

Nonetheless, Jones continues to show just how lethal he is from anywhere on the court, by putting up his eighth consecutive double-digit point night while grabbing eight rebounds.

With Jones creating magic out there on the offensive side of the court, one other starter saw more of his shots go in, and that was Gilbert.

On the night, Gilbert was second in points with 21 on 10-of-15 shooting, along with knocking down one 3-pointer. He also added eight assists, six rebounds and three steals for the Cyclones.

“[Gilbert] is such a gifted finisher,” Otzelberger said. “At the guard position, there’s probably not a better finisher in the country.”

The trio of Jefferson, Gilbert and Jones combined to put up 70 of Iowa State’s 108 points, as the tandem looks to continue to put up high-scoring performances.

“It was a really good offensive day,” Jones said. “We shot well from 3, so we were really clicking on all cylinders.”

But, the most impressive thing that caught Otzelberger’s eye came from the ball security of Gilbert.

Mainly known as a slasher type of player, Gilbert was sometimes prone to having a high number of turnovers, but that was not the case Tuesday, as he only turned the ball over one time.

“I was most impressed with his ball security,” Otzelberger said. “The amount of plays he made for himself and his teammates, and only have one turnover, that was the most impressive part for me.”

Watson, Heise provide spark off the bench

Even with all the things the starters do every game, the bench also does a lot that doesn’t show on the stat sheet, and that came into effect against UCF.

Leading the bench were Heise and junior guard Demarion Watson, who combined to add 20 points to the triple-digit scoring night for Iowa State.

Both players are primarily known for their defensive abilities, and that stood true in the Cyclones’ win over the Knights, as Heise and Watson combined to have five steals and two blocks on the night.

Heise’s offensive numbers had struggled to come alive this season despite coming in from Northern Iowa and averaging double-digit points in his last two seasons with the Panthers.

While it particularly didn’t jump off the charts in the win over UCF, Heise still found a way to contribute nine points on 4-of-8 field goal shooting, 1-of-4 from 3-point range, while still doing what he does best on the defensive end.

“[Heise] is capable of so much out there,” Otzelberger said. “We all recognize and see what he does defensively on the glass and steals. We’re gonna continue to demand from him that he’s a more offensive player because we know what he can do.”

“Heise’s a phenomenal shooter,” Jefferson said. “He showed that in his years at Northern Iowa, so just continuing to stick with it and keep shooting.”

On the other side is Watson, who had struggled to see court time this season, despite being with Otzelberger’s Cyclones for his now third season.

But with the injury to starting sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic, it made way for Watson to get some court action off the bench.

So far, in the three conference games he’s played in, Watson has been a huge factor for this Iowa State team, and that continued in the Cyclones win over the Knights, as he led the bench in scoring with 11 points.

Those 11 points were scored on a perfect 3-for-3 field goal shooting night, 1-for-1 from deep, while going 4-of-5 from the charity stripe.

Along with his shooting performance, Watson grabbed five rebounds, two of which were offensive, one block and one steal in his 11 minutes of playing time.

“[Watson] came in and made a huge impact,” Jones said. “He comes in and brings the energy and has a big presence on defense.”

“[Watson] was flying around defensively,” Otzelberger said. “When you have that level of energy, the ball seems to find you. He was terrific and I think he will continue to make strides.”