SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – In a neutral site gymnasium, it took until 2:38 remaining of an Iowa State blowout for a mostly Cyclone crowd to enjoy a Hilton Coliseum favorite: The Juicy Wiggle.
T.J. Otzelberger and the No. 16 Cyclones provided plenty of reasons to wiggle, though, defeating Mississippi State 96-80 Monday night at the Sanford Pentagon.
Senior Cyclone guard Tamin Lipsey had a career-high 25 points for IOwa State in the victory, winning the head-to-head matchup with two-time All-SEC guard Josh Hubbard, who turned it over seven times in the defeat. Hubbard also had 25 points for the Bulldogs in the loss.
With the win, Iowa State improves to 3-0 on the season and Mississippi State falls to 1-1.
DIFFERENT WAYS TO BE EFFICIENT OFFENSIVELY
Has Iowa State's offense ever been the model of peak efficiency under Otzelberger? No, but it has improved annually under his watch, peaking at No. 19 nationally per Kenpom last season.
In Monday's victory, Iowa State displayed how offensive basketball can be efficient in different ways. Leading 71-55 with 11:17 remaining in the second half, Iowa State built its 16-point lead without relying on the 3-point shot. Iowa State was just 4-17 from the arc at that point with Jamarion Batemon, Milan Momcilovic and Tamin Lipsey all converting on triples.
Where the Cyclones managed to be efficient elsewhere was in the paint (38 points). Iowa State also added 11 second-chance points to that point in the game off of their 11 o-boards. Contribute 22 points off of Bulldog turnovers to just seven giveaways of their own and that's a model of efficiency.
Teams don't have to hit shots like the prime Steph Curry, Klay Thompson era Golden State Warriors to be efficient offensively. There are different ways to do it, and while the Cyclones won't have the 3-point volume Alabama does this season, performances like Monday's are an efficient form of offense.
PHENOMENAL FRESHMAN
Entering the half, Iowa State's leading scorer was senior point guard Tamin Lipsey, but the three Cyclone freshmen looked like stars. Making his third start of his young career, Killyan Toure had six points with a rebound and an assist while making 3-of-4 shots from the floor.
Fellow guard Jamarion Batemon also had six points for the Cyclones, sinking a pair of 3-pointers. Batemon's first triple came in a key sequence where he forced a steal on the defensive end and then buried a kick-0ut trey in the midst of a Cyclone run. The pattern led to an eruption from the heavily leaning Cyclone crowd just North of the state's border.
Dominykas Pleta, who looks to be on the borderline of the T.J. Otzelberger rotation, made a strong case for his inclusion in frequent lineups. Pleta had a pair of put-back dunks. His first put Iowa State ahead by six points with just over 8:25 remaining. About seven minutes later, Pleta hung on the rim by his right hand to celebrate his momentum-building play that put Iowa State ahead 44-30.
Otzelberger spent the summer and preseason praising his freshman class, especially his two young guards. In the first major opportunity for the two young backcourt mates, neither looked overwhelmed by the moment as Iowa State took an 18-point lead in the halftime locker room.
MOVE IT!
Sit close enough to the hardwood floor at a Cyclone game and you'll hear Otzelberger's voice repeat "move it!" to his team over and over again. On Monday, though, Otzelberger was able to keep mostly quiet as he observed his team's offensive attack.
The Cyclones entered halftime with 12 assists on 19 made shots. Nate Heise led the team with four dimes. He assisted both Batemon and Lipsey on 3s in the first half before perfectly placing an alley-oop pass to Dominick Nelson on a fastbreak as the first half buzzer began to sound. In celebration of the show time, Nelson slapped hands with encouraged Cyclone fans sitting courtside.
Lipsey contributed three assists in the first half for Iowa State while Blake Buchanan, Joshua Jefferson, Milan Momcilovic, Killyan Toure, Jamarion Batemon and Nelson all contributed to the hot potato.
TURNING 'EM OVER
Coming out of the under-16 media timeouts of the second half, Iowa State's defense had forced 16 Bulldog turnovers, including eight steals. Lipsey led the way with two pokes.
Despite Iowa State's defense being built to not allow teams to attack the baseline, Mississippi State continually tried to beat the Cyclones going under the rim. That's exactly what Iowa State wanted, and it led to numerous loose balls and bad passes out of bounds. Deflected passes were also a frequent theme for Otzelberger's defense, which helped ISU control the game on its own terms.
By the middle of the second half, Iowa State's defense had helped the Cyclones score 22 points off of turnovers while also scoring 10 points on the break.
UP NEXT
Iowa State has the rest of this week off before playing Stonehill College on Monday night at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones are looking to go 4-0 with a victory.