AMES — Emotions ran high on senior day as the No. 6 Cyclones rallied to secure a 24-0 run in the second half, surging to an 86-65 victory over Arizona State at Hilton Coliseum and sending their five seniors out with a win.

Following a senior farewell celebration for their five seniors: forward Eric Mulder, guard Dominick Nelson, guard Nate Heise, forward Joshua Jefferson and guard Tamin Lipsey. The emotions of the team and within Hilton ran hot, causing the Cyclones to be in a tight back-and-forth battle against the Sun Devils.  

“I’m just so proud of those guys who they are as men and what they do every single day for our program,” head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “So really cool to have a great second half and come out with a victory on the senior day and proud of our guys for being locked in that second half.”

Seeking bright spots, such as freshman guard Jamarion Batemon going all out for his final freshman year game in Hilton, securing eight points in his 12 minutes of action in the first half.

“With Batemon, he just has such gravity to how he plays, so much energy and enthusiasm,” Otzelberger said. “I think when he’s at his best, when he’s defending and rebounding, his offense really goes well for him.”

However, momentum quickly disappeared for the Cyclones as Arizona State went on a 10-0 run to close out the first half with a 41-37 lead.

After 20 minutes of unusual Cyclone behavior, Iowa State quickly locked back in following halftime and got back to its usual hype self on the hardwood of Hilton Coliseum. Junior forward Blake Buchanan started the Cyclones’ offensive movement in the second half with a second-chance pull-up jump shot to close Iowa State’s scoring margin to two points.

Despite Arizona State securing two jumpers, junior forward Milan Momcilovic secured a 3-point jumper on the fast break with an assist by Jefferson to start a scoring run.

Momcilovic’s three-point addition fueled an offensive run as Iowa State went on a 10-0 scoring drive, with contributions from Jefferson, freshman forward Dominykas Pleta and Lipsey.

The Sun Devils called a timeout in hopes of gaining some control back in the game; however, right out of the timeout, Momcilovic hit another 3-point jumper, followed by a Batemon pull-up jumper and a Pleta layup to contribute to a 17-0 run, giving the Cyclones a 13-point lead.

“I think what happened with our shooting was the fact that we kept throwing the ball to them and they were laying the ball in,” head coach Bobby Hurley said. “Then the crowd got into it and we lost our lead and they were surging.” 

Arizona State called another timeout, but Iowa State’s offensive momentum only continued as Batemon secured another 3-point jumper, granting him 13 points, three rebounds and four personal fouls to end the game. 

Jefferson was brought to the line and secured one point from behind the charity strip, quickly followed by a Lipsey 3-point jumper to finish the Cyclones’ scoring drive at 24-0, holding a 20-point lead.

“At halftime, I was not very happy with how we ended the half, being in a tough position there,” Lipsey said. “But that just shows the greater of the team, how we came out in the second half, played more like ourselves and it felt good to sort of make that run and open up the game.” 

Despite Arizona State fighting back, with success from behind the line, the Cyclones remained dominant and controlled their home court.

Jefferson, Momcilovic and Lipsey finished the final game at Hilton for the season, each with 16 points. Pleta secured 11 and Batemon finished with 13.

With five players scoring in double digits, the final game at Hilton was only more treasured as all five seniors took the court for the final minutes with the student section chanting each of their names.

“A ton of gratitude and appreciation,” Jefferson said. “These people with open arms let me in and I’m very appreciative for the two years that I’ve spent here, so I’m excited to continue on with this year and just continue playing.”

“The same thing,” Lipsey said. “Just the gratitude I have for all the fans and obviously the coaches for believing in me from day one.”