AMES – Senior guard Tamin Lipsey made an explosive performance, back from injury, during the No. 16 Cyclones’ 88-50 season opener win over FDU.
Over the summer, during practice, Lipsey suffered a grade 2 MCL sprain on his right knee, 24 days before the Cyclones’ first exhibition match. Out for four to six weeks, Lipsey sat out for both the 71-58 loss over No. 23 Creighton and the 80-72 win over Northwestern.
“Vic Miller, our trainer, did a phenomenal job working with him,” Iowa State Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “Tamin [Lipsey] is a guy who did all the extra to get himself back, ready to play and he looked great out there.”
With Lipsey playing at Hilton Coliseum in front of a crowd for the first time in the 2025-26 season and back from injury, cheers erupted from the Cyclone fans as Lipsey’s name was called for the starting lineup.
“Before the tip off, I just soaked it all in, just remembering it’s my senior year,” Lipsey said. “It’s kinda crazy to think about.”
Lipsey made clear why he was missed by both the team and the Iowa State fans, as the 6-foot-1 player came out with a bang and scored the first point of the game. Undeniably, it was a 3-point jump shot to get the Cyclones on the board with an assist from junior forward Milan Momcilovic.
“Tonight, being the first real game, felt good to get my feet back under me,” Lipsey said. “Milan [Momcilovic] hit me in that corner for the three. I know he was happy he got an assist out of that. So you know, it was a good moment. I love the applause, it means a lot to me.”
Lipsey continued his momentum on the court within the first half, along with taking his usual place as a team leader on the court and leading with his common assists, at three within the first half.
“There are a lot of things going on during the game, and when you have Tamin [Lipsey] out there, it’s like you have another coach on the floor and you’re fortunate for that,” Otzelberger said. “I think he has taken a big step up in terms of his communication and leadership with our team.”
At the 11:54 mark within the first half, as the Cyclones were up 17-9, Lipsey had back-to-back monumental plays that led to the Cyclones furthering their momentum. First, redshirt senior guard Nate Heise made a 3-point jump shot off an assist by Lipsey to make Iowa State secure a 9-20 lead.
With FDU then in possession, Lipsey quickly stole the ball from graduate student guard Joey Niesman after a bad pass turnover. Lipsey proceeded to throw the ball to freshman guard Killyan Toure, who continued to dunk on the fast break, leading to the Cyclones securing two points and Lipsey securing another assist for the stat sheet.
“It feels amazing seeing [Toure] pick up the ball full court and just put pressure on the other guards,” Lipsey said. “Gives me the opportunity to sort of play defense off the ball, and I feel like that’s where I get some of my steals. A lot of my steals are just playing in gaps.”
To end the first half, Lipsey made two back-to-back driving layups to secure Iowa State’s 26-point lead over FDU, closing out his time within the first half with 11 points, following closely behind Momcilovic, who secured 15 with the first 20 minutes of play.
“I mean, with Tamin [Lipsey] on the floor that helps us so much,” Momcilovic said. “I mean, the two scrimmages without him, I mean, we are just such a better team with him.”
For the first 16 minutes back on the court during the first half, Lipsey secured three rebounds, three assists and three steals alongside his 11 points.
Within the second half, Lipsey took a step back, playing only nine minutes. However, his continuous leadership on the court shone through as he ended the season opener with a team-high of five assists, 18 points, finding his most success from field goal range as he went 8-for-13, alongside six rebounds.
