MILWAUKEE, Wis. — As the clock ticked into the final two minutes of regulation between Iowa State and LSU, an 18-year-old freshman rose on the biggest stage of his life.

The Cyclones would hang on to beat the Tigers 59-54, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament — but not before Tyrese Hunter sealed the deal in the final minute.

After LSU’s Darius Days swished a free throw with 2:13 left to cut into Iowa State’s 51-50 lead, the Cyclones called timeout.

And they knew exactly who needed the ball in their hands.

With 1:43 left to play at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis., Hunter pulled up from three and buried the shot — giving the Cyclones a 54-50 lead.

Hunter, playing less than 40 minutes from his hometown in Racine, Wis., dropped a career-high 23 points on 8-13 shooting from the field, 7-11 from three (a career-high) to go with five steals.

“It’s March Madness,” Hunter said of his performance. “Everybody got one goal and you gotta go out there and play hard. That’s just me, playing myself. People say freshman this, freshman that. But at the end of the day, I’m a basketball player out there trying to compete and win.”

Hunter scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half, with deep threes raining throughout the evening over the out-stretched arms of Tiger defenders. The freshman guard’s 23 points is the most by an Iowa State freshman in their first career NCAA Tournament game.

The Big 12 Freshman of the Year was mobbed by teammates as the buzzer sounded and the Cyclones won their first NCAA Tournament game since 2017.

Aljaz Kunc, who has played in 72 college basketball games in his career, was confident Hunter’s performance was one of the best he’s ever seen.

“I’ve seen a lot of basketball, I haven’t seen a lot of performances like that,” Kunc said.

Iowa State, picked dead last in the Big 12’s preseason poll, embraced the doubters of the Cyclones’ season up to this point and used it as fuel for Friday’s win.

T.J. Otzelberger, who has constantly praised his freshman point guard for his poise and toughness in the biggest moments in the Cyclones’ 21-12 season, offered some more after the win.

The Cyclones force fed Hunter the ball down the stretch and opted to let the freshman step up when it mattered most. 

And now, the Cyclones are one win away from the Sweet 16.

“We wanted the ball in his hands late,” Otzelberger said. “He stepped up and made big shots.”

Iowa State faces the winner of Wisconsin and Colgate on Sunday in Milwaukee, Wis. The tipoff time has yet to be announced.