Iowa State Cyclones Pull Off Thrilling Victory Against St. John's Red Storm

The Iowa State Cyclones started off the Players Era Festival with a fantastic win.

Nov 24, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Blake Buchanan (23) and St. John's Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) battle for control of the ball during a tipoff during the first half in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at Michelob Ultra Arena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones started off the Players Era Festival with a fantastic win against the St. John’s Red Storm in what was one of the best games in all of college basketball to start the season. 

It was a very entertaining first half for both teams, with the Cyclones taking an early lead and the Red Storm following that with a strong stretch. As expected, the pace in this game was fast, with both teams getting up and down the court quickly. 

While it was a well-balanced attack for St. John’s in the first half, it was Tamin Lipsey and Milan Momcilovic who led the way for Iowa State in the first 20 minutes. With a need for some offense, Momcilovic got hot from three-point range, going three-for-three and giving them the spark that they needed after seeing a nice lead disappear. 

It was a fairly even first half overall, with the Cyclones having a bit more success from behind the arc and the Red Storm doing a strong job attacking the basket and getting points in the paint. 

Cyclones Finish Strong

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In the second half, the action continued to be fantastic with some strong play for both teams. For Iowa State, Momcilovic continued his great game after halftime, and it was very encouraging for the program to see what he was able to accomplish. Not only did he perform well from beyond the arc, but he made a couple of great drives as well when the opportunity presented itself. 

Foul trouble was a bit of an issue for Iowa State in the second half, with the bench being asked to do quite a lot. Fortunately, they were up for the challenge and performed well. The depth of the program is something that has been seen as a positive, and that proved to be the case. 

Even though free-throw shooting has been a bit of an issue early on for the Cyclones, they were great at the charity stripe in this one. Overall, they went 20-for-25 with some clutch makes down the stretch to help seal the one-point win. 

Next up for Iowa State will be a matchup against the Creighton Bluejays, who lost their first game in the Players Era to the Baylor Bears. All eyes will be on the status of Tamin Lipsey, who seemingly injured his groin late. With a quick turnaround, it will be worth monitoring whether he can play.