Milan Momcilovic fuels Iowa State's record-setting 132-68 win over Alcorn State

AMES — He hit 3-pointers from the corner and sank them on the wing. He swished step-back long-distance shots and drilled them on the move.

In short, Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic couldn’t miss Wednesday, as he knocked down his first eight 3-point attempts en route to 27 points in the tenth-ranked Cyclones’ record-splintering 132-68 win over Alcorn State before a crowd of 13,429 at Hilton Coliseum.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody 8-for-8 before,” said ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger, whose team (8-0) drained a single-game school record 22 3-pointers while setting a new single-game team scoring standard. “That’s probably the first for me to coach a guy (who’s) doing that. … To watch him with the confidence and the swagger that he has — that’s a big part of our team and our program.”

The Cyclone shot 70.8 percent from the field and 73.3 percent from beyond the arc. Star forward Joshua Jefferson scored 13 of his team’s first 17 points and finished with 24 points, 10 assists and zero turnovers.

“I thought he was a tremendous leader tonight,” Otzelberger said. “He’s always a great player, but we didn’t start exactly how we would have liked, and Joshua was very intentional about getting to the rim and kind of taking over the game right away and setting an example.”

How rough was that start to the game for ISU? The Braves (1-9) actually led, 7-2, one minutes and 37 seconds in after converting on back-to-back Cyclone turnovers, which prompted Otzelberger to call timeout. He then spoke animatedly in the huddle.

“I told them, This is not the standard,’” Otzelberger said. “‘We came in here to do a specific job, to play to the standard we’ve talked about. It’s about personal pride and laying it on the line for each and every possession. That’s not what we’re doing and we will immediately start to do that.’ And I was pleased with our guys’ response.”

No kidding.

Jefferson’s scoring barrage and Momcilovic’s first made 3-pointer did immediately fuel a 33-6 run capped by freshman guard Jamarion Batemon’s first 3-pointer. Coincidence? Maybe. But Momcilovic finished 8-for-9 from 3-point range. Batemon dropped in a career-high seven 3-pointers and finished 7-for-10 from beyond the arc.

“It was amazing to just have that kind of fun with your guys,” said Batemon, who scored a career-high 26 points off the bench. “I mean, we work for it every day, so to see a performance like that, it was amazing to see.”

Jefferson sank both of his 3-point attempts. Nate Heise nailed all three of his. Backup guard Cade Kelderman made a single-game career-best two 3-pointers, as well, joining in on the record-setting effort.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “It felt like everyone on our team couldn’t miss.”

Momcilovic — who raised his season 3-point percentage to a heady 54.8 percent — certainly couldn’t until he clanged a 27-footer with 4:38 remaining.

“The whole team just played in rhythm today,” Momcilovic said on ESPN+ after the game. “I don’t know what we shot from 3, but it was pretty good.”

Momcilovic was nearly flawless as he rained in shots whatever the degree of difficulty.

“I just want to continue to hunt and be aggressive,” Otzelberger said. “That’s been the narrative from the start of the year, and I feel like he’s doing a great of doing that. And we’re gonna continue to demand it, because he’s got a gift. And when he can create space and hunt and be aggressive like that, it opens up everything for everybody else.”

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