Fresh from a humbling first loss of the season, No. 2 Iowa State remains on the road and looks to get back on track against Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon.
After starting the season with 16 straight wins to set a new standard for the best start in program history, Iowa State (16-1, 3-1 Big 12) fell behind by as many as 26 points in the first half in an 84-63 loss to Kansas on Tuesday.
Cincinnati (9-8, 1-3) snapped a three-game skid to open Big 12 play by recording a 77-68 victory over Colorado on Wednesday.
The Cyclones started sluggishly for a third straight game, committing 10 turnovers in the first half at Kansas while shooting just 24.0% from the field.
“We got sped up,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said of his team’s struggles on offense. “We didn’t finish the ball. So that’s something we can certainly learn. … It’s happened the last few games. We haven’t had the quickest start that we’d like and impose our will on the game, and I think that that’s on both sides of the basketball. So, that’s something we can certainly learn, work on, improve upon and be better as we move forward.”
Five Cyclones finished in double-digit scoring, with Joshua Jefferson and Jamarion Batemon tying for a team-high 12 points. Limited by foul trouble throughout, forward Milan Momcilovic was held to 11 points, while Tamin Lipsey and Nate Heise finished with 10 points apiece.
“I thought we came out just more aggressive, more connected in the second half,” Momcilovic said. “I think we’ve came out better in the second half in every game we’ve played, but I think we got to turn that to the first half and come out stronger, because we just can’t put ourselves in the hole like that. We’re proud of our guys that are fighting back, not quitting, but we got to be better than that.”
Cincinnati star forward Baba Miller recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 25 points and 11 rebounds to help stave off the Buffaloes.
“I feel like I just stuck to the main things — just playing with effort, crashing the (offensive) board, just making easy plays and playing around my teammates,” Miller said. “They were able to find me in high-percentage looks. I approach every game the same. We all do as a team. It’s going to be an exciting game to play on Saturday.”
Cincinnati built a 21-point lead that shrunk to four with just over a minute left.
Despite the late push, Cincinnati maintained control throughout the night, holding decisive advantages in points off turnovers (30-18) and fast-break points (24-2).
“I’m happy for my players,” Bearcats coach Wes Miller said. “They’ve been crazy resilient over a tough go with results. They’ve been right there it seems like every night. They’re improving. The things that held us back from winning, they go and attack them the next day in practice.”
–Field Level Media
