The No. 22 University of Arizona men’s basketball team (19-10, 13-5 in Big 12) picked up an unfortunate 84-67 defeat on the road against the No. 9 Iowa State University (22-7, 12-6 in Big 12) on Saturday, Mar. 1 at 7 p.m. in Ames, Iowa. Arizona is 2-3 in its last five matchups.
Jaden Bradley came alive in the second half, totaling 18 points, two assists, two rebounds and three steals to lead Arizona. Caleb Love would have 10 points, two rebounds and three assists. KJ Lewis was a bench threat for Arizona, scoring 13 points with six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. The Wildcats shot an unimpressive 19-for-57 from the field (33.3%) compared to the Cyclones’ steady 50% from the field.
Additionally, Iowa State found success from beyond the arc early, collecting 11 of its 21 attempted shots from the 3-point line. An offensive clinic put on by the Cyclones, in combination with no defense on the perimeter, put Arizona in a position to fall in the loss, closing out one of the final regular-season games this year.
“Listen, it’s not rocket science, all you gotta do is look at their shooting splits home and away and you know that obviously they shoot the ball well at home […]. I’m sure we’re going to go back and watch that and feel some defensive errors we did that could’ve either taken away a shot here and there and made one more contested, but we just didn’t get it done,” said head coach Tommy Lloyd post-game.
First half
Tobe Awaka scored a layup to put the Wildcats on the board, shortly followed with a layup by Bradley to gain a 4-1 advantage. Moving through the period, Iowa State held Arizona scoreless for more than two minutes, taking the 5-4 lead with 15:37 remaining in the first half.
A one-possession game quickly turned into a 9-point lead for the Cyclones after Tamin Lipsey, a 6-foot-1 guard, nailed a 3-pointer at the 10-minute mark. Arizona found itself in a deeper hole after Iowa State shot three 3-pointers within one minute, coming up with no answer for the double-digit deficit. Iowa State led by as many as 17 points as 5 minutes remained before the halftime mark.
Despite the Wildcats getting to the free-throw line and managing to shrink the gap to 39-28, the Cyclones’ first half 3-point shooting damaged the chances of Arizona controlling the score. Iowa State led Arizona into halftime 43-30, shooting 9-for-13 from beyond the arc. Notably, the Wildcats only shot 3-for-13 from the 3-point line themselves.
Love led Arizona with 8 first-half points and two steals, while Milan Momcilovic secured 14 points for the Cyclones. Momcilovic was an offensive tool Iowa State used as he shot 4-for-5 from the 3-point line.
Second half
The Cyclones came out in the second half, continuing to impress offensively. Joshua Jefferson found a layup, extending Iowa State’s lead to 19 only three minutes into the period. Shortly after, Henri Veesaar made a tip-in dunk to cut the deficit to 17, but was answered with a 3-pointer from Keshon Gilbert.
Due to untimely errors and missed shots, the gap continued to grow as Arizona was unable to narrow it down to a controllable score. However, this did not stop the Wildcats from attempting to score as Trey Townsend drained a 3-pointer to try and get Arizona’s offense going. With 4:38 remaining in regulation, KJ Lewis was able to cut the deficit to 12 after getting to the free-throw line
The Wildcats trimmed off more than half the lead the Cyclones built after a jumper by Carter Bryant made the game 71-61. The final three remaining minutes of the game consisted of both teams trading shots from the charity stripe as Arizona was never able to make a full comeback.
Ultimately, the Wildcats fell 84-67 on the road to Iowa State, marking its fifth conference loss and 10th loss of the season.
Looking ahead
The Wildcats have a highly anticipated matchup as Arizona heads home to host rivals ASU on Tuesday, March 4 at 9 p.m. in McKale Center. This game also marks the final home game of the regular season as Arizona’s first year in the Big 12.
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