Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State eliminated from NCAA Tournament by Ole Miss, 91-78

Season comes to an end for Cyclones in second round of NCAA Tournament

Dana Becker

Iowa State takes on Ole Miss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday night.
Iowa State takes on Ole Miss in the second round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday night. / Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State men are in for a fight in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

The Cyclones, who handled business vs. Lipscomb on Friday, take on Ole Miss of the SEC in Milwaukee from the Fiserv Forum. The game airs live on truTV beginning at 6:45 p.m. CST.

Milan Momcilovic scored 20 points with five rebounds in his return to Wisconsin following a prep career in the state. Curtis Jones had 17 with both Joshua Jefferson and Tamin Lipsey adding 10. 

Jefferson showcased all of his skills, adding eight assists, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks to his day with just two turnovers over 33 minutes of play.

Ole Miss knocked off North Carolina in the opening round, 71-64. Sean Pedulla had 20 with six rebounds and five assists while Dre Davis scored 15.

According to the ESPN BPI, the Cyclones have a 71 percent to win, as ESPN Bet has them favored by 5.5 points.

Check out our live updates and in-game analysis of Iowa State vs. Ole Miss in the NCAA Tournament below:

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Halftime Stats, Analysis

Some nights, nothing seems to go your way. That was what the Iowa State basketball team experienced on Sunday, shooting just 36 percent from the 3-point line while committing 15 turnovers. Curtis Jones scored 26 with Brandton Chatfield adding 19, six rebounds, three blocks and two assists. 

Milan Momcilovic, who couldn’t miss in the opener vs. Lipscomb, went just 2-for-12 from the field for five points. Joshua Jefferson had 16 with eight rebounds while Nate Heise added 13 with three made 3-pointers.

But the Rebels were too good, shooting 58 percent from the field and 3-point line, going 11 of 19 from deep. Seth Pedulla had 20 with eight assists and four steals while Malik Dia scored 18 and grabbed eight rebounds.

Live Second Half Updates

Final score: Ole Miss 91, Iowa State 78

Ole Miss 82, Iowa State 63, 3:52 left in half: The Cyclones fought, but they just did not have it in them to advance. The SEC is for real and the Rebels are a legit contender to continue deep into March Madness if they continue to play like this.

Ice-cold shooting: Over the past few weeks, especially when Keshon Gilbert went down with his injury, the signs of offensive struggles were there for Iowa State. They have definitely shown up here in this one, as the Cyclones are just 4 of 17 from deep and 39 percent overall.

Ole Miss 68, Iowa State 48, 8:55 left in half: Probably can go ahead and put this one away, as the Rebels have just been the better team. Four different players are in double figures while Curtis Jones leads the Cyclones with 12. Joshua Jefferson has 10 and Dishon Jackson eight.

Ole Miss 63, Iowa State 43, 11:27 left in half: Just not much the Cyclones can do right now, as the Rebels are having their way on both ends of the floor. Ole Miss has six more 3-pointers, is shooting 20 percent better from the field and holds a 20-point lead.

Ole Miss 54, Iowa State 37, 16:03 left in half: Definitely danger zone for this Iowa State team, as the Rebels are rolling with their biggest lead of the game. All the momentum is on the side of the Ole Miss, who has gone 8 of 14 from the 3-point line. Curtis Jones is the lone Cyclone in double figures.

Halftime Stats, Analysis

Malik Dia and Sean Pedulla combined for 24, going 9 of 18 from the field with four 3-pointers to push the Rebels to a halftime lead. Ole Miss is 5-for-11 from the 3-point line and 9 of 9 at the free throw stripe while committing just four turnovers. 

This has truly been all Ole Miss, as they have dominated the first 20 minutes.

That being said, Iowa State is within striking distance but they need Milan Momcilovic to get going. The sharpshooter is 1 of 7 and has yet to make a triple after scoring 20 in the first round. Curtis Jones has 10 and Joshua Jefferson seven.

Live First Half Updates

Halftime score: Ole Miss 40, Iowa State 29

Ole Miss 39, Iowa State 27, 1:00 left in half: The Cyclones have kept this within striking distance with 60 seconds to play before the break. The Rebels have received 24 points combined from Dia and Pedulla, who have four 3-pointers. 

Ole Miss 36, Iowa State 24, 3:01 left in half: The Cyclones do not want to put themselves in such a large hole they are desperate in the second half. These final three minutes of the first will be key in figuring out if this is going to be a game, or a blowout in favor of the Rebels.

Ole Miss 25, Iowa State 17, 7:57 left in half: After such a strong start, the Cyclones have gone cold, as the Rebels are on a 16-2 run and have their biggest lead of the game. Iowa State needs more out of its defense, especially from the guards.

Iowa State 15, Ole Miss 13, 11:53 left in half: The Cyclones need to keep a defender on Sean Pedulla, as he has eight of the points for the Rebels. Iowa State led by as many as eight before Ole Miss cut into it here midway through the opening half.

Instant offense! Curtis Jones comes in and drives for an acrobatic bucket followed by a 3-pointer to give Iowa State a 9-5 lead as we hit the first media timeout.

Nate the Great! First points for the Cyclones comes from grad transfer Nate Heise, as the former Northern Iowa standout gets Iowa State on the board early in Milwaukee.

Live Pregame Updates

Delayed start! As tends to be the case when these games are scheduled out in advance, we have a delay start time. Originally scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CST, Iowa State vs. Ole Miss will now tip at 7:20 p.m. CST.

We are going to find out early if the physical presence of Ole Miss is too much for Iowa State without Keshon Gilbert. Nate Heise and Cade Kelderman had key minutes in the opener, but now they are going up against an SEC team that will test what they can do.

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Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in north-central Iowa.

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