KANSAS CITY — Lost footing on the ASB GlassFloor was not the only slip the Arizona State Sun Devils would make in the first half, as they allowed Iowa State to take a commanding 45-16 lead at the intermission.
The first half decided the contest, with ESPN Analytics giving the Cyclones a 99.9% of victory at the break, and the Cyclones won dominantly, 91-42.
“Our guys came out with a great level of energy and intensity from the start,” head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We knew it was going to be important to try to speed them up and score off of our defense.”
To go along with the slip on the score, the LED court lacked the tackiness of a traditional wood court. The decreased level of traction led to players constantly stumbling, sliding and falling.
The court was cleaned during every media timeout and wiped down with towels whenever possible to increase traction.
“I made adjustments after practice,” freshman guard Jamarion Batemon said. “Certain shoes do work better.”
Senior forward Joshua Jefferson changed his shoes at halftime from the Nike Ja 3s to the Nike Kobe 6 Reverse Grinch before he recorded 15 second-half points.
“It’s just getting used to it,” Jefferson said. “Trying to see which cuts work, which cuts don’t work.”
During the first half, the Cyclones scored 45 points while shooting 53.3% from the field. Leading the way was junior forward Milan Momcilovic with 12 points.
Momcilovic shot 1-4 on 3FG attempts but scored a large margin of his first-half points from the free-throw line.
Three technical fouls were assessed to members of the Arizona State team, with senior guard Anthony Johnson, freshman center Massamba Diop and Head Coach Bobby Hurley committing actions warranting technical fouls.
Momcilovic shot all six technical shots and made five. Diop and Hurley also received technical fouls in the regular-season finale Saturday at Hilton Coliseum.
Junior forward Blake Buchanan also added nine first-half points, but dominated the rebounds along with Jefferson. Jefferson collected six defensive rebounds while Buchanan attacked both sides, rebounding, securing two offensive and three defensive for a total of five.
The Cyclone bench also added 13 points in the first 20 minutes. Batemon and freshman guard Dominykas Pleta combined for all of the bench points with nine and four, respectively.
“Turnovers and scoring off of our defense is when we’re at our best,” Batemon said. “Us moving the ball, everybody getting involved, everybody finds the shots, everybody feels good.”
