No. 6 Iowa State dropped its second straight game, falling to No. 2 Arizona 73-57 on Big Monday in Tucson.
The win secured Arizona the Big 12 regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, while the loss likely slots Iowa State as the No. 5 seed.
Iowa State closes the regular season Saturday when Arizona State travels to Ames for a 1 p.m. tipoff on FS1.
Slow start
Shooting struggles defined the opening 20 minutes for both teams. Iowa State shot just 27.3% from the field in the first half, while Arizona gradually found its rhythm.
Senior guard Tamin Lipsey led the Cyclones with 10 first-half points on 4-of-9 shooting. Despite pacing the offense, Lipsey went 1-of-4 from 3-point range.
Freshman guard Jamarion Batemon appeared to have the same green light as junior forward Milan Momcilovic, attempting seven 3-pointers in the first half and connecting on two.
After a disjointed start offensively for both sides, the final minutes of the half belonged to Arizona.
The Wildcats closed the period on a 15-3 run over the final four minutes, including nine unanswered points in the final two minutes. Arizona finished 4-of-5 from the field during that decisive stretch after struggling early.
Jaden Bradley led Arizona with 12 first-half points, most of which came at the free-throw line, where he went 8-of-8. Bradley finished the game with a team-high 17.
“The guys were great today, but first off, I wanna give credit to Iowa State,” Arizona Head Coach Tommy Lloyd said. “They are a pain in the ass to play against.”
Bright side: Rebounding and free throws improve
Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger took responsibility for Iowa State’s lack of emphasis on rebounding against Texas Tech, and his team, led by junior forward Blake Buchanan and senior forward Joshua Jefferson, responded with a stronger effort on the glass.
Jefferson led the Cyclones with eight rebounds. Buchanan added seven, including six offensive boards.
Although Iowa State was still out-rebounded 21-20 in the first half, the effort level was noticeably improved.
“[Buchanan] had three [rebounds] by the first media,” Otzelberger said. “He was fired up about it. Our team was fired up about it. Blake’s [Buchanan] continuing to go to the glass and give us quality minutes and be a formidable force on the boards for us.”
The Cyclones also turned in their best free-throw performance of the season, shooting 12-of -13 from the line.
Jefferson finished 8-of- 8 at the stripe, while Lipsey went 3-for-3. The only miss came from senior guard Dominick Nelson, who went 1-of-2 after the outcome had effectively been decided.
Shooting struggles continue
Despite winning the turnover battle and improving on the glass, Iowa State could not overcome its offensive struggles.
The Cyclones’ 57 points marked their second-lowest scoring output of the season, behind only a 55-point performance at TCU. Iowa State shot 27% from the field against the Wildcats.
“Shots just didn’t fall tonight,” redshirt senior guard Nate Heise said. “We didn’t finish strong, so that’s just kind of what happened tonight.”
Lipsey led the team with 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting and Jefferson struggled from the floor, going 2-of-17. Momcilovic finished 2-of-8, going 1-of-5 from deep, the fourth time this season he has failed to hit two or more 3-pointers.
Batemon shot 5-of-14 overall and attempted 10 3-pointers. He entered the game averaging 3.7 attempts from deep per contest.
“[Batemon] just needs to continue to stay aggressive,” Otzelberger said. “We need him to be aggressive on our team. He’s a guy that just continues to hunt and he’s been so good for us. And he has so many great days ahead as a Cyclone.”
