Iowa State basketball: Curtis Jones ties season-high 23 points in Cyclones’ win vs. Utah

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AMES − All other basketball teams have five starters, but Iowa State men’s basketball is fortunate to have six.

The Cyclones don’t break the rules and play 6-on-5, but rather, they have their sixth man, Curtis Jones, play major minutes off the bench.

Jones, alongside co-captain Tamin Lipsey, led the way on Tuesday night in the Cyclones’ 82-59 victory over visiting Utah.

Iowa State won by double figures, but it was far from its cleanest game of the season. Still, Jones was a consistent bright spot throughout.

He finished with 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting. He also had five rebounds, six assists, two steals and a team-high plus-minus rating of +23 in 32 minutes of action.

His unwavering confidence in his shot, combined with a defensive effort, provided a big boost off the bench.

Lipsey added 20 points, seven rebounds and was assertive in getting to the foul line. He converted on 11-of-14 free throws. Joshua Jefferson chipped in 17 points, while Keshon Gilbert had 15 points.

After Iowa State took a 38-25 halftime lead, Utah was able to trim the deficit down to six points. Gabe Madsen sank a 3-pointer to cut the Cyclone lead down to 47-41, with 13:05 remaining.

That would be the closest the Utes would get down the stretch, though.

Iowa State responded with a 9-0 run to extend its lead back into double figures.

The Cyclones led by as much as 19 points late in the second half.

The Cyclones were sloppy to start the game. Utah went on a 15-2 run capped off by a Miro Little 3-pointer to take a 22-17 lead with 9:07 left in the first half.

There wasn’t much cohesion on either end of the floor early on for the Cyclones. Gilbert knocked down an open 3-pointer off an assist by Milan Momcilovic to break a four-minute scoring drought moments before the under-8 media timeout.

That started a big 21-3 run for the Cyclones.

On Utah’s first possession out of the media timeout, Iowa State got a stop after a missed 3-pointer. The Cyclones followed up by forcing a shot-clock violation on Utah’s next…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/iowa-state-basketball-curtis-jones-031335229.html

Author : The Des Moines Register

Publish date : 2025-01-08 03:13:00

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