Iowa State runs roughshod over Arizona State in Big 12 tourney

Field Level MediaThu, March 12, 2026 at 6:02 AM UTC

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Mar 11, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) protects the ball during the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images (William Purnell-Imagn Images)

Milan Momcilovic scored 21 points and Joshua Jefferson added 20 points and 12 rebounds as No. 7 Iowa State walloped Arizona State 91-42 on Wednesday in a Big 12 Conference tournament second-round game in Kansas City, Mo.

The fifth-seeded Cyclones (26-6) advance to play fourth-seeded Texas Tech, No. 16 in the latest AP poll, in the quarterfinal round on Thursday afternoon.

Iowa State led by as many as 33 points in the first half and by 29 at halftime as it held the 12th-seeded Sun Devils to 31.8% shooting from the floor while forcing 15 turnovers that led to 18 points for the Cyclones.

The second half was not much better for Arizona State, as Iowa State eventually expanded the margin to 49 points, with the margin of victory the largest in Big 12 tournament history.

Blake Buchanan added 17 points for the Cyclones, while Tamin Lipsey scored 11.

Santiago Trouet led Arizona State (17-16) with 13 points and was the only Sun Devil in double figures. Maurice Odem, who came into this tournament averaging more than 17 points per game, scored just two on Wednesday after producing nine in a win over Baylor on Tuesday.

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The Sun Devils lost to Iowa State twice in the past five days by a combined total of 70 points.

Iowa State set the table early on, scoring the game's first seven points before going upon 13-2 on a layup by Momcilovic at the 13:28 mark of the first half. Lipsey's 3-pointer with 9:20 to go in the half stoked the margin to 14 points. A jumper from beyond the arc by Jamarion Batemon on the break after a steal by Lipsey put Iowa State ahead 27-10 with 7:51 left.

The Cyclones continued to expand on the lead as Momcilovic hit a free throw and then a 3-pointer, the latter with 4:03 still to play before halftime, to go up 33-10. Iowa State's run eventually reached 16 consecutive points and built the lead to 40-10 before a jumper by Massamba Diop ended a six-minute scoreless stretch for the Sun Devils.

Bryce Ford's jumper with 1 second left cut Arizona State's deficit to 45-16 at the break.

Momcilovic led Iowa State's attack with 12 points while Buchanan and Bateman added nine each before halftime. No player had more than four points for the Sun Devils in the first half as they shot just 7 of 22 from the field and missed all 10 of their 3-point attempts.

--Field Level Media

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Source: “AOL Sports”