Iowa State Cyclones

Final score, analysis: No. 3 Iowa State left stunned in Arizona, falls in OT

Caleb Love sinks 50-footer, takes over in OT to lead Wildcats to victory

Dana Becker

Iowa State takes on Arizona Monday night in a key Big 12 Conference matchup.
Iowa State takes on Arizona Monday night in a key Big 12 Conference matchup. / Amy Kontras-Imagn Images

The third-ranked Iowa State men look to make it 2-for-2 on an Arizona swing when they take on the Wildcats as part of ESPN’s Big Monday event.

Fresh off a win over Arizona State, the Cyclones put their two-game win streak on the line vs. Arizona (13-6, 7-1) who sits tied atop the Big 12 Conference with them. 

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

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Final Stats, Analysis

It wasn’t meant to be for the Cyclones, though they had their chances. In the end, Arizona proved too much Caleb Love, pulling out the dramatic win after hitting the 55-footer to force overtime. 

Iowa State had no legs left in the extra session, as they turned the ball over and were unable to generate anything on the offensive end. In contrast, the Wildcats hit several big 3-pointers from Love and freshman Caleb Bryant.

One positive for the Cyclones was that they played with a Big 12 contender despite a subpar performance by Curtis Jones. The leading scorer for ISU, Jones made just one field goal, finishing with eight points. 

Tamin Lipsey had 18, Keshon Gilbert 17 and Joshua Jefferson 15 to lead the way. 

For Arizona, Love scored a game-high 22 points including four 3-pointers. Tobe Awaka had 17 with 12 rebounds while both Bryant and KJ Lewis scored 14 each off the bench.

Live Overtime Updates

Final score: Arizona 86, Iowa State 75

Love taking over: Caleb Love, who was 1-for-10 from the 3-point line before hitting his tying shot, has knocked down two triples here in overtime and has 20 points, giving Arizona an 81-75 lead with 98 seconds left. 

Live Second Half Updates

End of regulation: Iowa State 71, Arizona 71

Caleb Love magic! Wow, after missing so many shots all night, Love drains a 50-footer and we are headed to overtime in Tucson. Iowa State was 1–for-2 at the free throw line and after taking a quick dribble, Love tossed it up and drained it.

Down to the wire! Curtis Jones, who has struggled all night, calmly sinks two free throws to give Iowa State a 70-67 lead with 14 seconds left.

Rejection Dr. Watson! Demarion Watson sends it to the crowd with a block as Iowa State leads 68-65 with 1:48 left in the game. Watson has five points and four rebounds off the bench.

Keshon Gilbert is that man! Gilbert has scored 13 in the second half including the last five to give the Cyclones a 68-65 lead late in the second half. After Caleb Love sank a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 65-63 lead, Gilbert came down and drained his own triple.

Iowa State chance to take lead! Keshon Gilbert goes hard to the basket and is fouled, as he will have two shots from the free throw line when we return following the final media timeout. The Cyclones and Arizona are tied at 62-all.

Jefferson draws Cyclones even! Behind a traditional 3-point play, Joshua Jefferson brings Iowa State to even with Arizona at the 5:23 mark, 60-60. The talented big man is up to 14 points with three assists and three rebounds. 

Arizona 59, Iowa State 55, 7:24 left in second half: Tobe Awaka has woken up, going 6-for-6 from the field for 16 points to go along with 11 rebounds to lead the Wildcats. Carter Bryant has 11 off the bench. For the Cyclones, Tamin Lipsey has 18 and Dishon Jackson 10.

CuJo finally scores: With 9:52 left in the game, Iowa State’s leading scorer, Curtis Jones, finally makes his first field goal, sinking a jumper to tie it at 55-all.

Arizona 43, Iowa State 42, 15:50 left in second: Lipsey is up to 18 points as the Cyclones have cut the deficit down to one at the under-16 timeout. Curtis Jones still has yet to make a field goal, missing all six of his attempts. 

Halftime Stats, Analysis

Thankfully for the Cyclones, Tamin Lipsey has come to play, as the star guard has 14 points with three made triples. He is the only Iowa State player in double figures, as Curtis Jones has struggled to two points on 0-for-6 shooting from the field.

Joshua Jefferson also has just two points and Keshon Gilbert has been held to two as the Cyclones are shooting 36 percent from the field and 31 percent from the 3-point line.

Arizona, who closed the half on a big run, has four players with at least six points including Caleb Love, who threw down a thunderous dunk. Love has six as Jaden Bradley leads the Wildcats with seven. 

Freshman sensation Carter Bryant has hit a pair of 3-pointers off the bench to help Arizona.

Live First Half Updates

Halftime score: Arizona 34, Iowa State 30

Caleb Love with the thunder: Former North Carolina star Caleb Love brings the crowd to its feet with a thunderous dunk and the Wildcats are rolling, using a 16-0 run to take a 34-25 lead with a minute to go.

Bryant on fire: Just 34 percent coming in, Carter Bryant knocks down a second 3-pointer to make it a 12-0 run and a five-point Arizona lead with 2:27 to go before the half. 

Fab freshman sparks ‘Cats: After Carter Bryant, a McDonald’s All-American, sinks a 3-pointer, KJ Lewis with a steal-and-score, adding the free throw to give Arizona a 27-25 lead. It's a 9-0 run for the home team.

Iowa State 25, Arizona 21, 3:51 left in first: The Wildcats finally hit a 3-pointer, as Jaden Bradley sinks one to make it a four-point game at the under-4 timeout. The two are just a combined 4-for-22 from deep.

Iowa State off and running! The Cyclones have found their rhythm, jumping out to a 25-18 lead on the heels of a 3-pointer by Demarion Watson. Lipsey up to 11 points on 4 of 6 shooting with three rebounds, a steal and an assist so far as we have 5:19 to go before the break.

Physical battle so far: The refs are letting these two play and it’s leading to some “big boy” basketball so far. Plenty of contested shots at the rim, as Iowa State holds a slim 16-14 lead with 7:32 to go before half. Tamin Lipsey leads all scorers with nine.

Iowa State 12, Arizona 8, 11:28 left in first: This could be a breakout game for Tamin Lipsey, as the Ames native is up to six points already. Playing with a fractured thumb, Lipsey has shown his ability to get to the basket while also sinking a 3-pointer. Iowa State and Arizona are struggling from the floor, shooting just 7-for-25 with one made 3-pointer in nine attempts. 

Iowa State 8, Arizona 6, 15:48 left in first: Been a pretty exciting opening few minutes here, as four different Cyclones have scored buckets with Joshua Jefferson already recording two assists and Dishon Jackson three rebounds. 

True road game: Unlike vs. Arizona State this past weekend, the crowd appears to be solid behind the home Wildcats. There are definitely some Iowa State supporters in attendance, but the vast majority are cheering on Arizona. 

Pregame Updates

Just like Iowa State, Arizona has won two straight since a road loss, as they were topped at Texas Tech. The Wildcats have bounced back with impressive wins over Colorado and Oklahoma State. 

We could be in for a high-scoring affair deep into the night. Arizona averages almost 83 points per game while the Cyclones post 84.6 a night. Both are allowing in the high 60s to the opposition.

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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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