Iowa State basketball: Curtis Jones on hot start in win over IU Indy
Iowa State men’s basketball got off to a fast start and defeated IU-Indianapolis after starting the game with a 29-5 run.
This story has been updated with new information.
AMES − Iowa State men’s basketball finally got the fast start it wanted from the opening tip on Monday in its final tune-up game before heading to the Maui Invitational next week.
The Cyclones crushed visiting IU-Indianapolis in a 87-52 wire-to-wire win at Hilton Coliseum.
Iowa State opened the game on a 27-5 run over the first 8:01 of action, and Cyclones hardly looked back from there.
The Cyclones swarmed the Jaguars on the defensive end of the court, forcing turnovers and applying relentless pressure.
They capitalized on IU-Indianapolis’ miscues, scoring on the other end and compounding momentum in their one-sided start to the game.
At one point, Curtis Jones extended the run by scoring 11 straight points for the Cyclones, including a series of 3 three-pointers that were beyond NBA range.
Jones led all scorers for the second game in a row, finishing with 20 points. He shot 7-of-14 from the field with four 3-pointers and collected six rebounds.
Three other Iowa State players finished in double figures. Tamin Lipsey had 17 points, three assists and five steals. Joshua Jefferson added a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, with four assists and a steal. Keshon Gilbert had 11 points and eight assists.
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on Cyclones lineups
Iowa State Cyclones basketball coach TJ Otzelberger discussed experimentation with lineups with a core group of players.
IU-Indianapolis settled in late during the first half, knocking down a few contested 3-pointers to jump-start its offense, but the deficit was too great to overcome.
Gilbert sank a mid-range jumper at the buzzer to cap a strong first half for the Cyclones, who took a 49-29 lead at the break.
The Cyclones clamped down even harder on the Jaguars defensively in the second half, holding them to shooting 8-of-28 shooting (28.6%) for the remainder of the game.
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on Cyclones balanced attack
Iowa State men’s basketball had four players score in double figures for the second time in its first three games.
Paul Zilinskas led IU-Indianapolis with 16 points and five boards. Outside of Zilinskas, the Jaguars shot 12-of-40 overall (30.0%).
Iowa State led by as many as 38 points in the closing minutes of the game.
The Cyclones improved to 3-0 overall and will return to action at the Maui Invitational next week in Hawaii. They will play No. 3 Auburn in the opening round of the tournament Monday, Nov. 25. That game is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT.
Iowa State basketball’s Curt Jones on facing Auburn, Maui Invitational
Iowa State basketball guard Curtis Jones shared his thoughts on playing top five-ranked Auburn and competing in the Maui Invitational.
Referee Ray Natili leaves game after scary collision, fall
With 8:21 remaining in the second half and Iowa State leading IU-Indianapolis, 69-41, Cyclones freshman Nojus Indrusaitis fouled IU-Indianapolis guard Nathan Dudukovich off-ball.
During the play, Dudukovich inadvertently collided with referee Ray Natili, whose focus was on the ball-handler, and the referee fell hard onto the court and hit the back of his head.
He was momentarily unconscious but was able to get back on his feet while play was stopped, and he was assisted off the floor.
Natili did not return to the game.
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said after the game that Natili had a headache but otherwise was OK.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
