Second-half blitz lifts No. 6 Iowa State over Arizona State
Second-half blitz lifts No. 6 Iowa State over Arizona State
Field Level MediaSat, March 7, 2026 at 9:42 PM UTC
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Mar 7, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) goes to the basket as Arizona State Sun Devils forward Andrija Grbovic (14) defends during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images (Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images)
Tamin Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson scored 16 points apiece and No. 6 Iowa State dominated the middle 12 minutes of the second half on the way to an 86-65 win over Arizona State on Saturday afternoon in Ames, Iowa, in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Jamarion Bateman added 13 points and Dominykas Pleta had 11 for Iowa State (25-6, 12-6 Big 12), which clinched the fifth seed in the Big 12 tournament as well as a first-round bye.
Massamba Diop led the Sun Devils (16-15, 7-11) with 12 points while Anthony Johnson and Maurice Odum scored 10 each. Arizona State finished 12th in the league and will play the 13th seed (either Oklahoma State or Baylor) in the first round on Tuesday in Kansas City. The winner of that game faces the Cyclones in the second round.
The Cyclones trailed by four points after a stuttering first half, but they swept to the front by scoring 10 of the first 14 points after halftime.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Momcilovic and Jefferson gave Iowa State the lead for good with 14:57 to go, but that was just the start of a 24-0 run. Lipsey's 3-pointer with 8:38 left pushed Iowa State's lead to 65-45.
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Arizona State went scoreless for 8:45 during that pivotal stretch and endured a span of 10:42 without a field goal while missing 12 straight shots.
The Sun Devils put up a better fight in the first half. Arizona State led 22-21 after Allen Mukeba's tip-in at the 10:07 mark, but went the next 6:44 without a field goal while missing four straight shots and committing four turnovers.
The Cyclones used that swoon and a ball-hawking defense to build a 35-26 lead, with the run capped by two free throws by Momcilovic with 3:46 left in the half. Odum ended Arizona State's difficult stretch with a jumper and then a 3-pointer that brought the Sun Devils to within 35-31 with 2:36 to play.
After a pair of free throws by Killyan Toure pushed Iowa State's lead to 37-31, the Sun Devils reeled off the final 10 points of the half with five straight coming from Johnson. Andrija Grbovic canned a 3-pointer with nine seconds left to grant Arizona State a 41-37 advantage at the break.
--Field Level Media
Source: “AOL Sports”
