Iowa State Cyclones

Final Stats, Analysis: No. 2 Iowa State stunned on the road at West Virginia

West Virginia overwhelms Iowa State, ends long win streak for Cyclones on the road
Dana Becker|
Curtis Jones and Iowa State are locked in a battle with West Virginia on the road Saturday.
Curtis Jones and Iowa State are locked in a battle with West Virginia on the road Saturday. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming off a big win over Kansas, the second-ranked Iowa State men are on the road this weekend at West Virginia.

While the Mountaineers have struggled as of late, they do own a win over the Jayhawks.

Iowa State has not lost since a setback to No. 1 Auburn in November at the Maui Invitational. 

The ESPN BPI gives the Cyclones a 63.5 percent chance to win, as they are 5.5-point favorites. The over/under for the game has been set at 143.5 points.

Check out our live updates and in-game analysis of Iowa State at West Virginia below:

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Final Stats, Analysis

West Virginia did what they used to do under Bob Huggins: rough teams up and make it ugly. Darian DeVries, in his first season after guiding Drake to success, has the Mountaineers playing well. Javon Small sealed this one with a 3-pointer and a steal that resulted in a dunk in the final 40-plus seconds.

Small finished with 27 points, as the Mountaineers have won three games over Top 10 teams this season. They also played this one without Tucker DeVries, who was the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year last season and came with his dad. 

Iowa State, coming off a big home win over Kansas earlier this week, just seemed destined for a letdown game. And this was definitely it. The offense never got going, shooting 1-for-17 from the 3-point line. Curtis Jones scored 16 with eight rebounds, Keshon Gilbert had 13 with four boards, and Joshua Jefferson tallied a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Live Second Half Updates

Final score: West Virginia 64, Iowa State 55

Dagger by Small: Javon Small with a 3-pointer with 42 seconds left, and that will likely do it for the Mountaineers.

West Virginia 53, Iowa State 49, 1:39 left in second: Back-to-back buckets by Javon Small and Joseph Yesufu give the Mountaineers a two-possession lead here late in the game. Small up to 17 points with seven rebounds and five assists. 

Gilbert to the rescue! Needing a bucket, Iowa State gets it from Keshon Gilbert, as he ties the game up at 49-all with 2:34 to go.

West Virginia 49, Iowa State 47, 4:15 left in second half: Can the Cyclones once again pull a victory out of thin air? They’ll need a spark from Jones or Lipsey to do it, as the Mountaineers have been impressive on the defensive side of the ball.

Mountaineer momentum: West Virginia has uglied this game up, and they are benefiting from it all. Iowa State is in foul trouble and Javon Small knocks down a pair to put the Mountaineers up 49-45 with just over five to play.

Small comes up big: West Virginia ties it up on a layup by Javon Small at 41-41 with 7:43 left to go. Iowa State takes a timeout, as they will have possession out of the break.

Iowa State 41, West Virginia 39, 8:00 left in second: This one is going to come down to the end, as neither team can get settled in on the offensive end. It’s been pretty good defense, but honestly, just a lot of struggles moving the ball and making shots. 

Ice-cold offense! Like the weather back home in Iowa, the Cyclones are struggling to score. Thankfully for them, West Virginia is also failing to convert on the offensive end. The Mountaineers are 13 of 41 from the field and Iowa State is 16-for-39. The Cyclones are just 1-for-15 from the 3-point line.

Iowa State 35, West Virginia 34, 13:06 left in second: Who else by Curtis Jones, as the silky smooth shooter drains a 3-pointer to give the Cyclones a slim advantage. Timeout West Virginia as they look to retake the lead when we return to action.

Iowa State 32, West Virginia 31, 14:32 left in second: A jumper from Tamin Lipsey gives the Cyclones the lead, as they have been put to the test by a scrappy Mountaineer team today.

Halftime Stats, Analysis

It has been tough shooting through the opening 20 minutes for the Cyclones, as they are 0-for-11 from the 3-point line and just 41 percent from the field, as they trail the Mountaineers, 25-24. 

West Virginia, meanwhile, has knocked down five triples to overcome a 10 of 31 shooting performance from the field. 

Iowa State holds a plus-six advantage on the glass, with seven turnovers leading ot six Mountaineer points. The Cyclones had a lead of seven in the first half and West Virginia led by as many as six.

Curtis Jones, in the starting lineup once again, has a team-high 11 points with five rebounds while Joshua Jefferson has six rebounds. Amani Hansberry leads West Virginia with nine points, sinking three triples, off the bench.

Published | Modified
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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