Strong Start Helps Send Cyclones to 18-2

Saturday, January 24

Stillwater, Okla.

2:00 PM (New Time)

Iowa State

18-2,5-2Big 12

Oklahoma State

14-6,2-5Big 12

Iowa St.

Oklahoma St.

Photo by: Big 12 Conference

Strong Start Helps Send Cyclones to 18-2

01.24.2026 | Men's Basketball

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STILLWATER, Okla. – Iowa State (18-2, 5-2 Big 12) used a 51-point first half, its best in conference play in over a year, to power past Oklahoma State (14-6, 2-5 Big 12) by a score of 84-71 on a snowy Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The Cyclones earned a season sweep over the Cowboys as they moved to 18-2 for the first time in program history. Iowa State's strong first half was the fourth 50-plus point opening half of the season.

For the first time since Nov. 17 against Stonehill, Iowa State had a pair of players score 20-plus. Milan Momcilovic led the way with a game-high 29 points, while Joshua Jefferson chipped in 20 of his own. For Momcilovic, it was his eighth game of the year with at least five 3-point makes, and it was also his sixth contest scoring 25-plus points. Tamin Lipsey had 13 points to go with a team-high five assists and a pair of swipes. Blake Buchanan had nine points and led the team in rebounding with nine. Killyan Toure would finish with ten points.

Oklahoma State's offense was spearheaded by the tandem of Kanye Clary and Jaylen Curry, who each finished with 19 points. They were the only two Cowboys to finish in double figures. Parsa Fallah had an OSU-best seven rebounds, while both Clary and Curry had three dimes apiece.

The win was just ISU's second in the last six trips to Stillwater. The Cyclones show over 50 percent from the field and 42 percent from deep. 18 ISU turnovers helped spark a strong second half for the Cowboys, who outscored ISU by 17.

How it Happened
The first half couldn't have gone much better for the Cyclones, as ISU came out of the gates on fire from deep. The Cyclones' first three makes from the field were all from beyond the arc as Iowa State took an early 9-2 lead just two minutes in.

The Cyclone barrage continued on, as ISU's fifth triple of the period pushed Iowa State to a 22-4 advantage by the 13:22 mark. The Cyclone edge would continue to balloon until eventually reaching 51-21 at the break. Oklahoma State's 21 first-half points were its lowest of the season.

The second half proved to be much more challenging for ISU, as the Cyclones could only manage seven points in the first 10 minutes of play as they saw their lead trimmed to 58-37.

The Cowboys would continue to methodically chip away at the Cyclone edge, eventually getting the deficit to 15 by the four-minute mark. The Cowboys would trim ISU's lead to as low as 10 with a minute-forty remaining, but never got closer as ISU held on for its third road win of the season.

Key Performer
Milan Momcilovic played the biggest role in ISU's 30-point halftime lead. He had 19 points at the break, went 3-5 from deep, and was 4-4 from the line. He was a game-best +33 in the first stanza before going on to finish with 29 points and seven boards.

Notes

T.J. Otzelberger earned his 21^st road win at Iowa State, tied for the fourth-most in program history.
ISU's 91 wins over the last four years are the fifth-best four-year run in school history.
Iowa State's 47 Big 12 wins since 2021-22 are the third-most in the league.
ISU's 17 Big 12 road wins since 2021-22 are the fourth-most in the league.
Joshua Jefferson earned the 90^th win of his career.
- He eclipsed 400 made field goals at Iowa State.
- He also eclipsed 800 points as a Cyclone.
Milan Momcilovic became the fourth Cyclone to ever eclipse 200 career 3-pointers.
- He now has 80 triples this season – the 13^th-most ever by a Cyclone.
- Momcilovic moves to 21^st in the all-time scoring ranks by a Cyclone as he sits at 1,100 on the dot.

Up Next
The Cyclones will be back in action this coming Thursday, Jan. 29, when they return to Hilton Coliseum to host Colorado. The Cyclones and Buffaloes will tip off at 6 pm on FS1.