Iowa State Cyclones Star Dazzles Offensively Against St. John's Red Storm

The Iowa State Cyclones saw a great performance from a star player in their big win

Nov 24, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger stands on the sidelines during the first half against the St. John's Red Storm in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game at Michelob Ultra Arena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones were able to secure their best win of the season so far in a thrilling game against the St. John’s Red Storm to kick off the Players Era Festival. 

Coming into the tournament, the Cyclones knew that they were going to be tested right off the bat against an excellent Red Storm team led by head coach Rick Pitino. St John’s added a lot of talent during the offseason, and the program has extremely high expectations. 

With the roster having new faces, it’s fair to say that they might not be a finished product just yet, but even if their chemistry isn’t entirely there, they have a lot of talent. From the start, this was a very close game, and it ended up being a thriller. 

The Cyclones were able to come away with a one-point victory in a game that was very even and could have gone either way. While there were some very impressive games from multiple players, one star on Iowa State was the player who stood out the most. 

Milan Momcilovic Stole the Show

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In a game that had a lot of star power on both sides, it was the Iowa State forward who had arguably the best game of the night. Momcilovic was the difference maker for the Cyclones on offense in a game that was probably played more in the comfort range of the Red Storm, with the final score being in the 80s.

It was encouraging to see that the offense for Iowa State could keep pace with a team like St. John’s offensively, and a significant reason for that was their junior forward. In the victory, he was able to help spread the floor with his ability to knock down three-pointers, and that put a lot of pressure on the Red Storm defense, while opening up driving lanes as well. 

Overall, he totaled a game-high 23 points on eight-for-13 shooting from the field, which included five three-pointers. The talented trio for the Cyclones played well in this one, but it was certainly Momcilovic who led the way. 

Considering the type of opponent that the Red Storm are and the stage that this game was played on, it was his best game of the year so far. Iowa State is a team that is going to try to prove that they can contend with some of the best of the best offensively, and performances like Monday night from Momcilovic are a good start.