Milan Momcilovic and Tamin Lipsey talk about the game win against Houston
Milan Momcilovic and Tamin Lipsey discuss Momcilovic's game-winning jumper with 30 seconds left to beat No. 2 Houston
AMES — As if nearly a foot of snow and howling wind weren't inhospitable enough, the Iowa State men's basketball team added another layer of misery to undefeated and second-ranked Houston on its journey north.
The Cyclones beat the Cougars at their own game.
With a 57-53 victory, Iowa State defeated the Cougars in their toughness, their defense and their games to secure another monster win at Hilton Coliseum.
“We have all the respect in the world for (Houston's) program and what they've done,” Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger said, “but nobody's going to come in here and push us around. Nobody is going to come in here and bully us.
“I'm not really happy about being an outsider. Not that we pursue anything like that, but no one at Hilton Coliseum will call us outsiders.”
Milan Momcilovic, a true freshman who had gone scoreless in the second half, gave the Cyclones the lead for good with a fadeaway jumper over two defenders with 30 seconds left. After the Cyclones got a stop on the other end, Momcilovic sealed the game with two free throws.
“It’s surreal,” Momcilovic said of the winning goal. “It’s an incredible feeling.”
More: Peterson: Iowa State basketball sent a big message against No. 2 Houston
More: A look back at each of Iowa State basketball's wins against top-10 teams over the past five seasons
The Cyclones (12-3, 1-1 Big 12) earned their first win of the season after a non-conference slate that was successful but did not produce standout wins. Additionally, the Cyclones are on the positive side of the Big 12 for the first time this season after league play opened with a loss to Oklahoma on Saturday.
It started with Iowa State scoring the first 14 points of the game, but the Cougars (14-1, 1-1) fought back and created a slugfest down the stretch.
Ultimately, Iowa State became the last team to defeat its top-ranked opponent at Hilton Coliseum since defeating Oklahoma in 2016.
Tamin Lipsey had a team-high 14 points while Momcilovic finished with 11 points.
Houston shot 38% from the floor and committed 16 turnovers. Emanuel Sharp led the Cougars with 20 points.
The game winner
The plan was to get the ball to Lipsey in a tied ball game with 35 seconds to play.
“I was supposed to catch it on the inbounds,” Lipsey said, “and get a ghost screen to get to the basket.”
However, Houston denied Lipsey the ball and forced inbounder Keshon Gilbert to hit forward Tre King outside the 3-point line. King got the ball back to Gilbert, who saw the 6-foot-8 Momcilovic being guarded by Houston's 6-foot-1 Jamal Shead just near the baseline and about 15 feet from the basket.
“We were lucky that Milan had a smaller man at his side, so that’s his place on the left wing, so to speak,” Otzelberger said.
Gilbert fed Momcilovic, who spun toward the baseline and moved away from the double-team of 6-foot-11 J'Wan Roberts of Houston for a fadeaway jumper.
Squirt.
“That’s what we work on every day in training – that last-second shot,” Momcilovic said. “Of course I do the fadeaway a lot.
“They came with the double, but I shot straight over the little defender and I work on that shot every day. I feel comfortable with it.”
And it's a shot that Iowa State loves to witness when the game is on the line.
“The play we designed kind of failed, but once it got into (Momcilovic’s) hands, at this point I’ve seen him hit shots like that so many times in practice and in games too.”
“When that went up, I felt like it was going in.”
For a player whose career began with six made 3-pointers in his first game, it was an eventful rookie season for Momcilovic.
“To see a freshman want the ball, make a shot with that level of difficulty at that point in the game,” Otzelberger said, “and then go to the foul line and finish the game is really impressive.”
TJ Otzelberger talks about Milan Momcilovic's game-winning goal against Houston
TJ Otzelberger describes Milan Momcilovic's game-winning shot against No. 2 Houston
Cyclones win the battle of physicality
Houston entered the game with a well-deserved reputation as one of the more physical defenses in the country. Not only did Iowa State match the level of bruising, but the Cyclones exceeded it.
“Our boys were the more aggressive team,” said Otzelberger. “We played more physically. We were the more resilient team. We made more plays.”
Houston rarely turns the ball over, but it committed 12 turnovers in the first half and finished with 16 turnovers.
“We just screwed ourselves,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said of the first-half surprises.
Iowa State's physicality helped it reach the free throw line 22 times. The Cyclones made 18 of those attempts.
“It was super important,” Lipsey said of the free throws. “It was a very intense game on both sides. There were a lot of fouls called and a lot of fouls not called.”
“It was just a matter of being aggressive on offense and trying to get to the line.”
The 18 points Iowa State scored at the foul line were crucial on a night where the Cyclones shot 38.3% from the floor and went 3 of 15 (20%) from 3-point range.
“These are manufacturing points,” said Otzelberger. “We don’t want to be picky about where the points come from. We just want them to keep coming.”
Iowa State is Perry Strong
The Iowa State coaching staff wore blue ribbons on their jerseys Tuesday in support of the Perry community.
Eleven-year-old Ahmir Jolliff was killed and seven others injured in a shooting at Perry High School last week. The shooter, also a Perry student, took his own life, authorities said.
Blue is one of the school's colors and has been used as a sign of solidarity with the school in the days since the tragedy.
Students across the state walked out of class Monday and hundreds gathered outside the Capitol to protest legislative inaction on gun violence.
More: “Enough with the prayers.” Students march on the Iowa Capitol to demand action on gun violence
Next
The Cyclones play the second half of a two-game homestand on Saturday when Oklahoma State visits Hilton Coliseum.
The game begins at 5 p.m. and will be broadcast by ESPN2.
The Cowboys are just 8-6 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12 this year, but they have defeated Iowa State in three of the teams' four meetings since TJ Otzelberger took over in 2021.
It is the only regular season game between the two teams this season.
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and the Ames Tribune. Contact him at [email protected] or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.