ST. LOUIS — Behind a career-high 26 points from Ames native Tamin Lipsey, No. 2 seed Iowa State punched its ticket to a third Sweet 16 in five years with an 82-63 win over No. 7 seed Kentucky on Sunday at the Enterprise Center. The Cyclones move to 29-7, while the Wildcats close their season at 22-14.
“Credit to Kentucky, Coach Pope, great season,” head coach T.J. Otzelberger said following the game. “We knew what a formidable opponent they’d be. A lot of respect for the job they do, and we knew we had to be at our best.”
Lipsey led the way, but he wasn’t alone in double figures. Junior forward Milan Momcilovic added 20 points, while guards Nate Heise and Killyan Toure chipped in 12 and 10, respectively.
“If I had anything to say about it, I was going to go out there and fight,” Lipsey said. “I didn’t want this to be my last game of my career.”
Junior Blake Buchanan controlled the opening tip and scored on a 9-foot jumper just 14 seconds in, but Kentucky answered with a 10-0 run over the next 3:44.
Lipsey got on the board at the 15:16 mark, trimming the deficit to 4 at 10-6, before the Wildcats used another surge—this time a 10-3 stretch over 3:01—to extend their lead.
Iowa State countered with an 11-0 run of its own.
Malachi Moreno’s two free throws with 2:07 left in the half pushed Kentucky’s lead to 7, its largest of the game. The Cyclones then closed the half on an 8-0 run, capped by a Heise 3-pointer, to take a 31-30 lead into the break.
The second half opened much like the first ended, with Iowa State knocking down a 3-pointer. Andrija Jelavić later cut the Cyclone lead to 2 with a layup at the 17:23 mark.
Otega Oweh scored Kentucky’s 40th point on a 16-foot jumper with 13:50 to play, but Iowa State responded with a decisive 14-3 run over the next 4:20, stretching the margin to as many as 23—the largest lead of the game.
“I think that’s something we identified before the game,” Heise said. “I think, when you get (Kentucky) to that point, it’s like, ‘Let’s just be done.’ I think that’s their mindset.”
Jamarion Batemon added a 32-foot 3-pointer with 6:39 remaining to push the lead to 70-47.
Momcilovic buried his fourth and final 3-pointer with 1:38 left, capping Iowa State’s scoring.
Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen accounted for Kentucky’s final three points, all at the free throw line.
For the game, Iowa State shot 45.9% from the floor, compared to Kentucky’s 46.67%. The Cyclones controlled the paint, outscoring the Wildcats 34-20, and turned defense into offense with a 25-12 advantage in points off turnovers. Iowa State also committed 13 fewer turnovers (7-20).
Next up: No. 2 seed Iowa State will face No. 6 seed Tennessee on Friday in Chicago. The Cyclones are 1-2 all-time against the Volunteers, with the first meeting coming Dec. 4, 1968, in Knoxville.
