LAS VEGAS — There might not have been bonus NIL money on the line, but Iowa State basketball was cash money on the floor, especially in the second half of its 95-64 beatdown of Syracuse in a Players Era Festival consolation game on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
The Cyclones held a narrow 35-34 halftime lead before pulling away for a lopsided win over the Orange to wrap up their time in Las Vegas.
Iowa State went 3-0 at the tournament and improved to 7-0 overall on the season.
“Last night, whatever time we found out — 9 o’clock — that our opponent would be today, we got all the guys,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “Came in our meeting room, went through a quick prep, got them off their feet, got them into bed and to me, as much as respect as we have for Syracuse and their program, their coaches and players, it’s about us doing what we do at our best. That’s where we put our focus.”
Due to the event’s tiebreaking procedures, which put an emphasis on point differential, Iowa State was the lone team to win its first two games but miss out on the championship or third-place game. Michigan and Gonzaga, who will play in the finals, and third-place contenders Kansas and Tennessee all edged the Cyclones on point differential.
Milan Momcilovic led the Cyclones with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including a 6-for-10 clip from long range, against Syracuse. Killyan Toure added 19 points, six assists and three steals. Joshua Jefferson had a 13-point, 10-assist double-double, with three steals and a block. Blake Buchanan and Dominick Nelson had 12 points apiece.
For Syracuse, Sadiq White Jr. led the Orange with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
Here are three takeaways from Iowa State’s win over Syracuse:
Iowa State’s second-half slaughter of Syracuse
After an evenly contested first half, where Syracuse shot an uncharacteristically good 8-of-19 (42.1%) from beyond the arc, the Cyclones buckled down, particularly on the defensive end.
Their ability to generate turnovers and contain Syracuse defensively helped fuel their scoring punch on the other end.
“That’s our identity, felt like in the first half we got away from that at times,” Otzelberger said. “Weren’t as intentional and as focused, and so when we do that, guard the 3-point line well, turn them over and score in transition. Just a great overall team win, team effort and felt like even as we went to the bench, everybody stepped up for us.”
Iowa State shot a blistering 22-of-31 (71.0%) in the second half. At one point, it peaked at 85.7% with seven minutes remaining in the game.
Defensively, it held Syracuse to shooting 10-of-26 (38.5%) overall and 0-for-9 beyond the arc in the second half.
The Orange finished with 19 turnovers as a team, which the Cyclones converted into 30 points on the other end.
Milan Momcilovic-Joshua Jefferson connection was clicking
Iowa State got to empty the bench and there were plenty of meaningful contributions throughout the rotation, but this tandem spearheaded the effort to separate from the Orange.
Jefferson took the ball down court many times, especially in the second half, as a point-forward. His ability to facilitate in a turnover-free outing and get the offense going, whether in transition or half-court action, was impressive. Four of his 10 game-high assists went to Momcilovic.
They traded baskets and were a major part of the Cyclones’ 17-2 run early in the second half to push their lead into double figures.
Momcilovic stayed hot and scored eight straight points for the Cyclones late in the second half to push their lead into the 30s.
“He can pass it over the defense, he makes all the right reads, so when he passes it to me, I know I gotta knock it down because then it’s going to come right back to me,” Momcilovic said of his dynamic with Jefferson. “He’s one hell of a player. He had 10 assists today, obviously can score, can pass, can rebound and defend.
“He can really do anything he wants, so it’s great playing with him and I’m a much better player when he’s on the court.”
Killyan Toure continues to step up at point guard in Tamin Lipsey’s absence
It was a good way for the freshman to finish off a solid all-around tournament showing in Las Vegas.
He followed up on his 20-point outing against Creighton with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, with six assists and three steals.
Tamin Lipsey missed his second game in a row with a groin injury and is day-to-day moving forward.
The Cyclones are back in action at home against Alcorn State on Dec. 3, but curiosity will pique surrounding a potential return against Purdue in a Dec. 6 heavyweight battle on the road.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Three takeaways from Iowa State basketball’s win over Syracuse
Reporting by Eugene Rapay, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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