Milan Momcilovic shines, but No. 2 Iowa State falters in 79-70 setback at Cincinnati

Editor’s note: This story was written in Iowa

Cincinnati’s fans couldn’t quite decide exactly how they felt about their just-over-.500 team’s stunning 79-70 win over No. 2 Iowa State.

First, they chanted “overrated” as the Bearcats (10-8, 2-3) staved off the Cyclones’ Milan Momcilovic-led last-gasp charge. Then they joyfully stormed the court as suddenly struggling ISU (16-2, 3-2 Big 12) shuffled off the Fifth Third Arena floor after a head-scratching Quad 2 loss in the Queen City.

The Cyclones have now lost two games in a row — and are being outplayed in the toughness-based areas they hang their hat on.

“The areas that we take pride in, pressuring the ball, rebounding the ball, and playing in the paint, we could have been better in all three of those cornerstones ,” ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger said on the Cyclone Radio Network after the game. “We’ll get back to work on that.”

Momcilovic’s heroics at least gave ISU a chance to avert a second consecutive setback. He scored a career-high 34 points on 8-for-14 3-point shooting and 8-for-10 free throw shooting. His personal 7-0 run late in the first half pulled the Cyclones within four, at 35-31. Then the star junior from Pewaukee, Wis., scored five of ISU’s first seven points in the second half to tie the game, 38-38, with 18:09 remaining.

But the Bearcats immediately regained full control via a 18-4 run fueled by three of the Cyclones’ 12 turnovers. Momcilovic’s late barrage pulled ISU within five, at 69-64, with 4:38 left, but Cincinnati made the winning plays down the stretch to notch a second straight Big 12 win at home.

“We got outrebounded by seven and we didn’t force a lot of turnovers,” said Momcilovic, the nation’s top 3-point shooter. “So I think those two (things) are a recipe for disaster and that’s why we lost.”

The Cyclones have been outscored 37-to-14 in points off turnovers in their two straight losses after outscoring foes 52-to-17 in that stat in the previous three Big 12 wins. They’ve also been outrebounded the past two games while trailing for more than 73 of those 80 minutes played. All of that is indeed a “recipe for disaster” as ISU seeks to address and banish its recent woes ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with improved UCF at Hilton Coliseum.

“Just continue to stay with what we preach — pressure the ball and finish on the glass,” said forward Joshua Jefferson, who scored 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists while struggling to hit from the field for the second straight game. “I don’t think we did a great job rebounding here, so just gotta continue to do that.”

The Cyclones also need to find more scoring from players not named Momcilovic and Jefferson. ISU’s other starters, Tamin Lipsey, Blake Buchanan and Killyan Toure, combined for just 15 points, and the bench only contributed five points. The Cyclones also shot just 63 percent from the free-throw line, which is another “recipe for disaster” in Big 12 play.

But now ISU returns to Hilton, where it’s won 70 of its 80 games played under Otzelberger.

“We’ll have a great crowd behind us,” Otzelberger said. “School’s back in session. Students will be there. Hilton will be at its best (and) we’ll be at our best.”

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