Milan Momcilovic scored a career-high 34 points, but No. 2 Iowa State couldn’t overcome early turnovers and a decisive 3-point shooting gap in a 79-70 loss to Cincinnati on Saturday night at Fifth Third Arena.
The Cyclones (16-2, 3-2 Big 12) fell behind early and trailed for nearly the entire game, despite several late pushes. Cincinnati capitalized on Iowa State’s mistakes, scoring 20 points off turnovers while allowing just five in return.
Ames native Tamin Lipsey got Iowa State on the board first, but Cincinnati quickly built a 13-8 lead by the first media timeout. The Bearcats’ perimeter shooting proved to be the difference early, as they hit three of their first six attempts from beyond the arc, while Iowa State missed its first two.
Cincinnati extended the margin to 19-10 at the under-12 media timeout and maintained control for much of the half. Iowa State closed strong, using a 7-0 run over the final 2:07 to pull within four. Still, the Cyclones went into halftime trailing 35-32 after committing nine turnovers compared to just one for the Bearcats.
Momcilovic led Iowa State with eight first-half points, while Joshua Jefferson grabbed seven rebounds. Iowa State scored 1.033 points per possession in the half — its second-lowest first-half efficiency this season.
The Cyclones briefly found momentum early in the second half. Momcilovic opened with two free throws, and Jefferson tied the game at 38 with a driving layup. Cincinnati responded with another surge, pushing the lead to 56-45 at the under-12 media timeout as Iowa State went more than four minutes without a field goal.
Cincinnati stretched the advantage to 17 points with just over nine minutes remaining. Momcilovic kept Iowa State within striking distance, hitting four 3-pointers and converting three free throws after a foul. Nate Heise added Iowa State’s first fast-break points of the game to cut the deficit to eight at 69-61.
That was as close as the Cyclones would get. Iowa State went scoreless from the field over the final 3:37, and Cincinnati closed it out at the free-throw line.
Momcilovic’s 34 points — 24 coming on 3-pointers — lead all scorers.
