AMES — Talk about a rollercoaster. Iowa State went from getting cooked to almost pulling off one of the craziest comebacks of the season. But after two overtimes, it all ended in heartbreak. The Cyclones stormed back from 21 points down in the second half, only to fall 88-85 against BYU on senior night.
The Final Possession: What Went Wrong?
Down by two with the ball and a chance to tie or win, Iowa State had one last shot in double OT. They called a timeout, set up a play, and then—nothing. The offense froze, the shot clock ran down, and a desperate off-balance three-pointer airballed into the abyss. Game over. No miracle ending this time.
Coach Otzelberger Keeps It Real
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger didn’t sugarcoat it.
“We had our chances, so yeah, this one hurts,” Otzelberger said. “The biggest issue? We dug ourselves a hole. Being down 21 points in the middle of the second half—unacceptable. You can’t do that against good teams and expect to win.”
The Cyclones showed heart, but Otzelberger made it clear: they can’t keep putting themselves in these situations.
BYU Takes Control Early
It wasn’t looking good for Iowa State in the first half. After an early 14-5 lead, the Cyclones flatlined. BYU went on a 28-8 run and suddenly, Iowa State was down 33-24 at halftime. It got even uglier in the second half when BYU’s Dallin Hall threw down an alley-oop to push the lead to 54-33 with 13:16 to go.
Cyclones Go Beast Mode in Second Half
Just when fans started heading for the exits, Iowa State flipped the switch.
- 17-2 run out of nowhere
- Milan Momcilovic drops six straight points
- Cyclones cut it to 56-50 with 7:19 left
The crowd was electric. BYU tried to push back, but Iowa State kept the pressure on. Momcilovic hit a cold-blooded three to tie the game at 21.8 seconds left, sending it to overtime.
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Trading Blows in Overtime
OT1: BYU jumps out to a four-point lead, but Lipsey and Momcilovic respond. Tie game at 79-79, and Iowa State gets the final shot—but they turn it over. BYU’s half-court heave at the buzzer misses. Double OT, here we go.
OT2: More turnovers. More chaos. Iowa State stays within reach but never takes the lead. BYU holds on.
Hines: The optical illusion of Iowa State basketball on full display in loss to BYU https://t.co/Ot3XAdluhS
— Ames Tribune (@AmesTribNews) March 5, 2025Stat Leaders
- Joshua Jefferson – 19 points
- Milan Momcilovic – 18 points, 4-of-10 from deep
- Curtis Jones – 16 points off the bench
- Tamin Lipsey – 15 points, 8 assists, 3 steals
- Keshon Gilbert – 13 points, 8 steals (yes, 8 steals!), 2 blocks
For BYU, Richie Saunders led the way with 23 points, and Hall added 22 off the bench.
Where Do the Cyclones Go From Here?
Iowa State now sits at 22-8 overall, 12-7 in Big 12 play. They’ll wrap up the regular season on the road against Kansas State this Saturday at 12:30 PM CT. A win could boost their March Madness seeding, but after a gut-punch loss like this, they’ll need to bounce back fast.
One thing’s for sure—this team fights. They just need to stop digging themselves into double-digit holes.
Next stop: Kansas State. Can they finish the regular season strong? Stay tuned.
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