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AMES – Pushed to the absolute limit, the Hilton Coliseum remained standing.
And the team that inhabits it was unbeatable there.
Sixth-ranked Iowa State completed the fifth undefeated season at home in program history and stayed in the race for a shared Big 12 championship by taking everything No. 23 BYU had to offer in a 68-63 victory on Wednesday night.
“It was a tough win,” Iowa State guard Curtis Jones said after scoring 18 points. “I don’t know how we managed to get it out.”
The Cougars led by as many as 14 in the second half, but it wasn’t a big enough cushion to ruin the Cyclones’ senior night, their perfect home record or their quest for a Big 12 trophy.
Iowa State went into halftime trailing at home for the first time this season, and seemed to have no answer for a Cougar offense that picked apart the Cyclones in their January loss in Provo.
“They challenge a lot of things we do defensively with their shooting and spacing,” Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger said.
Instead, Iowa State’s defense regained its footing, the offense found a pulse and the Cyclones found themselves in a tied game after eight minutes.
Robert Jones’ basket with 2:51 left gave the Cyclones a one-point lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
It was Iowa State’s defense that pushed it to the goal line when Jones’ bucket was the Cyclones’ final field goal.
Tamin Lipsey scored 19 points for Iowa State.
After shooting 57.7% from the field in the first half, BYU shot 23.3% after halftime.
It was an incredible turnaround not only because of how hot the Cougars started, especially considering they dismantled the Cyclones in January. Iowa State gave up a season-worst 87 points in that contest against a BYU team with the spacing, shooting and passing capable of solving the Cyclones’ elite defense.
The return may not have been as pronounced or as dramatic as some in the Hilton Coliseum’s history, but it could ultimately prove to be among the biggest.
What’s at stake on Saturday
The victory keeps alive the Cyclones’ chances of claiming their first Big 12 regular-season title since 2001.
Iowa State would first need to beat Kansas State on the road on Saturday afternoon, and then No. 1 Houston would have to fall at home to No. 15 Kansas.
In that scenario, the Cyclones and Houston would be co-champions. The Cougars clinched at least a share of the title by beating UCF on Wednesday.
“It’s pretty impressive to come into the last game of the season and put yourself in position to have a chance to potentially win a conference championship,” Otzelberger said. “We’ve all been doing this for a long time. It doesn’t happen a lot, and to do it in the best league in the country is a really incredible opportunity that we have in front of us on Saturday.
“We’ve put ourselves in a great position and we’ll be ready to do our best to do what we can to finish the regular season.”
Iowa State can’t fall below second place in the Big 12 Tournament, and the Cyclones could move into first place with a win and losses to Houston and Baylor on Saturday.
“Just having a chance to fight for that heading into the last game of the regular season is huge,” Lipsey said, “and we’re very proud of that.”
“It’s the last game of the season and we’re going to go out and win.”
How the cyclones did it
BYU averaged 1.26 points per possession while shooting 63.6% from inside the arc and 37% on 35 attempts from beyond in its win over Iowa State in January. The Cougars posted 1.22 PPP on 57.7% shooting in the first half on Wednesday.
In the second half, BYU posted 0.78 PPP and hit 7 of 30 shots from the floor, including 2 of 15 from deep.
The Cougars also recorded 17 total turnovers.
“His aggressiveness and rim protection were elite,” BYU coach Mark Pope said. “His approach speed from him to the ball is as good as we’ve seen all year.
“You have to give Iowa State credit for putting the pressure they did. That’s what they do.”
What the Cyclones did down the stretch of the game was one of their most impressive feats so far this season.
The Cyclones held BYU without a field goal for the final 5:47 and without a point for the final 4:24. The Cougars went 0 for 6 from the field and committed three turnovers in those final four minutes as Iowa State took and held the lead and only scored one basket during that time.
“At the end of the day,” Lipsey said, “if the score stays that way, we win the game.”
Until next time
It’s not just the Big 12 title chances that make Saturday’s matchup intriguing for the Cyclones.
Even without the chance of a championship, there would still be plenty of juice for Iowa State’s trip to Manhattan to face Kansas State on Saturday (1 p.m.; ESPN2).
Further:TJ Otzelberger refutes allegations that Iowa State basketball spied on Kansas State meetings
It will be a rematch of the January game that will be remembered not for the Cyclones’ 78-67 victory, but for Kansas State coach Jerome Tang’s pair of demonstrative outbursts during the game. It was later reported that the Wildcats suspected Iowa State of having a plan in which the Kansas State meeting was monitored and then information was relayed to Iowa State.
The Cyclones strenuously denied the allegations, which at first glance were strange given the complexity the plan would require along with the limited benefit it would apparently have.
“The ridiculous rumors … that we were somehow trying to gain an advantage by observing our opponents’ meetings is an affront to our players, our fans and me,” Otzelberger said in January. “It’s not who I am. It’s not about our program and it makes me angry that someone would make that suggestion.”
Beyond the potential implications on the Big 12 seeding, Saturday will also provide the Cyclones a chance to add to an NCAA Tournament resume that appears built on hosting first- and second-round games in Omaha as a potential No. 1 seed. 2.
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at Thines@amestrib.com either (515) 284-8000. FFollow him at @TravisHines21.
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