ST. LOUIS — In the opening round of March Madness, No. 2 seed Iowa State channeled the city’s monument: the Arch. The Cyclones stayed consistent beyond the arc while the Tigers plummeted. No. 15 seed Tennessee State concluded its season with a 108-74 defeat on Friday.
A dagger beyond the arc by junior forward Milan Momcilovic sent Enterprise Center into an uproar, giving the Cyclones a dominating mentality.
“It’s big time we need as many as we can here,” Momcilovic said. “It’s the tournament, so we need them [fans] to travel.”
Momcilovic, the three-point commander, was not the only Cyclone hitting shots from downtown. As senior forward Joshua Jefferson went down with a left ankle injury, redshirt senior Nate Heise joined Momcilovic’s downtown party.
Heise went two for two on threes in the half alongside three for three on paint points, landing 12 points in 12 minutes.
“Today, when J-Jeff [Jefferson] went down, we all knew different guys were going to have to make different plays. So we just were ready,” Heise said.
The Tigers disconnected from deep and landed the team 3-10 on three-point shooting.
Leading Tennessee State’s first-half three-point shooting was Aaron Nkrumah, who drilled two. Right behind Nkrumah was Antoine Lorick III with one of his own.
Heading into the second half, Iowa State looked to further its shots from deep while continuing its overwhelming lead.
Momcilovic’s beyond-the-arc shooting dwindled as he hit just one of his three deep shots in the half. Heise and freshman guard Killyan Toure clicked to tally four of the six threes of the half.
“He’s hitting some shots that are tough, to be honest,” Momcilovic said. “Damn okay okay Killyan [Toure], but he shoots the three ball with confidence.”
Freshman Jamarion Batemon held a similar fate to Momcilovic as he went one-for-three beyond the arc.
Iowa State’s typical three-point shooting became a work of excellence as Tennessee State hit an unconquerable valley.
In an effort to come back from the 26-point deficit at the half, the Tigers attempted 11 three-point shots while only connecting on two. Lorick and freshman guard Damon Howard Jr. saw those slim chances from deep.
“We tried to respond, but I feel like it was a little too late,” Nkrumah said. “Hats off to them [Iowa State]. They’re a great team. Just fell short.”
As the Cyclones head to Round 32 of March Madness and face Kentucky, an emphasis on sharp shooting from deep will serve as a pivotal role in Iowa State’s offensive depth.
