Jefferson scores 19, Lipsey leaves with injury as No. 12 Iowa St beats Cincy 76-56 in Big 12 tourney

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Joshua Jefferson slams home the dagger for Iowa State

Joshua Jefferson slams home the dagger for Iowa State.

Mar 12, 2025, 02:56 pm

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- — Joshua Jefferson had 19 points, Dishon Jackson added 10 points and 15 rebounds, and No. 12 Iowa State leaned on its big men to beat Cincinnati 76-56 in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday.

Tamin Lipsey scored 16 before leaving late with an apparent groin injury and Milan Momcilovic had 13 for the No. 5 seed Cyclones (24-8), who will play fourth-seeded BYU in the quarterfinals in a rematch of last week's double-overtime thriller.

Iowa State guard Keshon Gilbert returned from a muscle strain that had kept him out of three of the past five games, including a win over Kansas State to end the regular season. He had three points in 11 first-half minutes but did not play after halftime.

His availability, along with Lipsey's status, loom important as the Cyclones chase another Big 12 title.

Jizzle James led the No. 13 seed Bearcats (18-15) with 17 points, but he missed his final six shots, which helped allow Iowa State finish the game on an 11-0 run. Josh Reed added 10 points and Day Day Thomas finished with nine.

The Cyclones overcame 17 turnovers by dominating the glass, outrebounding the Bearcats 41-23. That led to a 36-16 advantage in points in the paint, where Cincinnati's 7-foot Aziz Bandaogo and 6-foot-8 Dillon Mitchell combined for just four points.

Takeaways

Cincinnati got 18 points and 15 rebounds from Mitchell in an 87-68 first-round victory over Oklahoma State. But the inability of him and Bandaogo to score against the 6-11 Jackson and 6-9 Jefferson was crucial to the outcome.

Iowa State committed 18 turnovers against the Bearcats in a regular-season win. The Cyclones will need to hold onto the ball much better if they want to win a seventh Big 12 Tournament title.

Key moment

Cincinnati closed within 51-47 with 10:40 to go, but Iowa State scored on its next three trips to regain control.

Key stats

Iowa State was 10 of 21 from beyond the 3-point arc. Cincinnati was 9 of 30.

Up next

The Cyclones play the 17th-ranked Cougars in the quarterfinals Thursday.

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