What TJ Otzelberger said after Iowa State’s win over Kansas City

Cyclones improved to 2-0 on the season with another convincing win at Hilton Coliseum

TJ Otzelberger has the Iowa State men sitting at 2-0 on the year following a win over Kansas City Monday night. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

It was business as usual for the Iowa State men’s basketball team Monday night, as the Cyclones remained perfect with an 82-56 victory over Kansas City. The game took place from Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.

For Iowa State (2-0) head coach TJ Otzelberger, it represented another opportunity for his team to gain more valuable minutes together on the court. Even with a veteran roster back for the seventh-ranked Cyclones, kinks still need to be worked out.

Iowa State broke the game with UMKC open thanks to a 34-18 run in the first half. The Cyclone defense held the Roos to just 1 of 11 shooting from the floor. 

Curtis Jones came off the bench to lead ISU in scoring with 20 points, adding five assists and five rebounds. Jones knocked down 7 of 11 shots and had 16 of his 20 over the final half of play.

Keshon Gilbert dished out 10 assists, Milan Momcilovic had 16 points and Dishon Jackson added 13 points with six rebounds. The Cyclones held the preseason Summit League favorites well below their season scoring average while dominating the glass with a plus-10 advantage and recording 21 assists on 30 made field goals.

Here is what Otzelberger had to say after the game:

Otzelberger on Milan Momcilovic’s scoring

“I liked his urgency right away,” Otzelberger said. “His feet were set and he was hunting. From my vantage point, the more he can hunt, the better we will be. We need him to continue to hunt and encourage him to hunt. He needs to hunt, catch-and-shoot, attack, use his floater and turnaround jump shot, and get to the foul line. We want him to be as efficient as we know he can.”

Otzelberger on Momcilovic improving on the defensive end

“He’s improved a lot on defense,” Otzelberger said. “More of a commitment on glass, finishing possessions. I’m proud to see him make those plays and he had good energy out there.”

Otzelberger on changing the starting five from the season opener

“I thought they both played great and we are just tring to get everybody to play to their strengths,” Otzelberger said. “We want them at the best of their abilities. I look at it like we have six starters and four guards that all return are all starters to me. The minutes need to reflect that more than who we call out for the start.”

Otzelberger on Curtis Jones’ big night

“Curt was electric for us,” Otzelberger said. “It was important to have that spark. It helps to have somebody who can come in and do that. It was great to have him give us that spark off the bench. He was more of a playmaker with five assists.”

Otzelberger on the team chemistry

“It’s better,” he said. “We’re still working on getting that rhythm. Guys are starting to realize what they can do. We need to continue to have better ball movement. We have a lot of scoring options out there and could have six guys approach double figures in scoring. We need to get the best shot for our team.”