After winning 16 games to open to the season in spectacular fashion, No. 2 Iowa State has hit a bit of a snag and will look to break a two-game losing streak Tuesday night when it hosts UCF in Ames, Iowa.
Following an 84-63 blowout loss at Kansas on Jan. 13, the Cyclones (16-2, 3-2 Big 12) lost again at Cincinnati on Saturday. They were outrebounded, committed more turnovers and trailed by 17 points in one stretch of the 79-70 setback.
After the final buzzer and feeling the sting of consecutive losses, Iowa State’s players had to avoid Bearcats supporters storming the court to culminate a bad weekend in Ohio.
In a disturbing trend for Iowa State, the team again started slowly and was down by double digits less than 10 minutes in, but the rebound margin was the most troubling statistic.
“We take pride in the rebounding margin most definitely,” coach T.J. Otzelberger said after losing the battle on the glass 39-32. “And to come up short in that department is something that we can’t do.
“I mean, if we’re going to be successful, that’s one of the things we pride (ourselves) in doing,” he continued. “And we have to commit to doing it. We have to make it go our way.”
The Cyclones received a career-best performance from Milan Momcilovic, who poured in 34 points. The 6-foot-8 forward went 8 of 14 from long range and made 8 of 10 free throws as he scored nearly half his team’s points.
Momcilovic, a junior from Pewaukee, Wis., nets a team-high 18.1 points per game. Senior forward Joshua Jefferson averages 17.3, including 12 points at Kansas and 16 at Cincinnati.
Going to play the Cyclones is just another tough test for UCF, 0-3 all-time against the Iowa State program — all since March 2024.
Knights coach Johnny Dawkins said, however, there was plenty to like over the weekend.
UCF (14-3, 3-2) did not get the results Saturday at home it wanted against Arizona — no team has against the unbeaten, top-ranked Wildcats. But the Knights did rally from a 15-point deficit and make it a six-point fight in the final minute before the Wildcats’ Jaden Bradley sealed it with five free throws.
Arizona’s defense proved to be the difference as UCF made just 28 of 79 (40%) field-goal attempts, Dawkins’ bunch made all but one of its 14 foul shots (92.9%) to stay within striking distance.
The coach loved his group’s work on the boards, where it was outrebounded by just 37-36 by an Arizona team averaging a 14-rebound margin over its opposition.
Dawkins also praised the play of point guard Themus Fulks, who almost singlehandedly kept the Knights in it by posting a career-high 30 points to go with eight assists.
“He always facilitates, but just his leadership and his understanding of the game,” Dawkins said of the fifth-year senior. “He makes really good plays out there on the floor throughout the game and so he knew, as I mentioned before, you know, we didn’t have it going particularly that well offensively, so he stepped up and gave us that.
“He gives you whatever you need. … And to me that’s a mark of a really good point guard.”
Riley Kugel tops the team with 14.6 points per game, while Fulks (14.0), Jordan Burks (12.5) and Jamichael Stillwell (12.3) follow. Stillwell tops the team with 7.9 rebounds per game.
