Iowa State cruises previous Houston, wins Massive 12 Event

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Keshon Gilbert wrapped up a spectacular Massive 12 event for Iowa State with 16 factors, and the seventh-ranked Cyclones blitzed No. 1 Houston to start the second half Saturday night time, permitting them to roll to a 69-41 win and their sixth championship in six appearances within the title recreation.

Milan Momcilovic had 18 factors and Hason Ward scored 13 for the Cyclones (27-7), who’ve crushed 5 completely different applications to boost the trophy, together with Oklahoma, which on the time was led by present Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson.

He in all probability felt even worse than he did in 2000. Iowa State turned a 30-23 lead at halftime into the form of blowout Sampson has not often skilled with an 18-3 run to start out the second half. That gave the 1000’s of Cyclones followers who paint Kansas Metropolis crimson and yellow each March loads of causes to face on their toes and roar their approval.

It does not appear to matter who’s teaching them, both. T.J. Otzelberger is the fourth to win the event for Iowa State.

Jamal Shead had 10 factors on 3-for-17 capturing for Houston (30-4), which was outscored 39-18 within the second half. L.J. Cryer was held to seven factors and Emanuel Sharp to 5 because the Cougars shot 4 of twenty-two from the 3-point arc and 15 of 56 from the sphere.

Iowa State constructed its halftime lead by enjoying the function of Houston higher than Houston.

The preternaturally poised Cyclones by no means wavered once they fell into an early gap. They exhibited some beautiful inside ball motion for straightforward layups when the Cougars’ guards tried to lock down the perimeter. And once they acquired these buckets to go, it freed up Momcilovic and the remainder of the Iowa State sharpshooters to start draining 3-pointers.

On the opposite finish, the Cyclones compelled Shead into off-balance runners and lengthy 3s on the finish of the shot clock; the Massive 12 participant of the 12 months — and defensive participant of the 12 months — went 2 for 11 within the first half, and it did not get any higher within the second.

Cougars huge man J’Wan Roberts was largely ineffective, too, after hurting his proper leg and enjoying sparingly of their semifinal rout of Texas Tech. He began the sport and performed 13 first-half minutes earlier than sitting out the second half.

He in all probability would not have made a distinction the way in which the Cyclones had been rolling. They scored the primary 10 factors as a part of their run to start out the second half, and Momcilovic’s 3 from in entrance of his bench pushed their result in 48-23 with 12:40 to go.

Resorting to desperation pictures, the Cougars went 9½ minutes with no discipline purpose as the sport acquired away from them.

Iowa State will doubtless be a No. 2 seed within the NCAA event and will get a positive touchdown spot in Omaha, Nebraska, for the opening weekend. Omaha is just a couple of 2½-hour drive from Iowa State’s campus in Ames, Iowa.

Houston nearly actually had locked up a No. 1 seed for the NCAA tourney. The query now could be whether or not the choice committee would put the Cougars in the identical area as Iowa State to arrange a possible rematch.