Wednesday night did not prove to be much of a challenge for the Iowa State Cyclones basketball team. Following a week off after their return from Las Vegas, the Cyclones blasted visiting Alcorn State 132-68.
Iowa State shot 70.8% from the field and 73.3% from three, hitting a school-record 22 3-pointers in the win.
Junior forward Milan Momcilovic led the Cyclones with 27 points on a near-perfect 8-for-9 mark from behind the arc. Jamarion Batemon added 26 points, and Joshua Jefferson finished with 24 points and 10 assists.
Not a Full Cyclone Roster
While putting up 132 points against the NET 324th team in the country, the team wasn't fully intact. Senior guard Tamin Lipsey has been nursing a groin injury that he suffered at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas during Feast Week.
Iowa State built a 65–28 halftime lead and maintained complete control throughout the second half. The 64-point margin ties for the fifth-largest in program history.
Jefferson and Lipsey are tied for the lead in scoring for the Cyclones through the first eight games. Jefferson has played all eight games and is scoring 18.4 per game, while Lipsey is doing the same through five games.
Momcilovic is averaging 17.1 points, while Killyan Toure rounds out the top four in scoring with 11.9 per game.
What's up Next?
The Cyclones are set to make a trip to No. 1 Purdue this weekend. Otzelberger has said that Lipsey will not be rushed to return for the top-ten matchup.
Following the Saturday showdown, the Cy-Hawk Series takes place on Thursday in Ames as the Hawkeyes come to town. The Cyclones then have home games against Eastern Illinois, Long Beach State and Houston Christian to finish their 2025 portion of the schedule.
The Cyclones will open up their Big 12 portion of the schedule on Friday January 2nd. Iowa State will host West Virginia at Hilton Coliseum.