No. 9 Iowa State routs UCF, 87-57, at Hilton

AMES — Just 18 days separated Joshua Jefferson’s first career triple-double from his second.

Iowa State’s star senior forward achieved the rare feat in the No. 9 Cyclones’ Big 12 season-opening 80-59 win over West Virginia, then served up an encore Tuesday in an 87-57 rout of UCF at Hilton Coliseum.

“I think (this one’s) on the top right now,” said Jefferson, who scored 17 points, dished out 12 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds to become the first ISU player in program history to record multiple triple-doubles. “I think my intensity on the defensive side of the ball is why I put this one above than one.”

Jefferson added four steals and didn’t lose a single turnover for the Cyclones (17-2, 4-2), who snapped a two-game skid. Milan Momcilovic scored a “quiet” team-high 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting, while ISU turned 19 turnovers from the beleaguered Knights (13-5, 3-3) into a 31-to-5 edge in points off those miscues.

“I think we had 13 steals,” Cyclone head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “So when you get those steals, there’s no better way to play for each other than in transition — 2-on-one, 3-on-one, and whatever that may be. As we put together a plan for our team to play well, that’s at the top of the priority list.”

So is getting Momcilovic early open looks, which ISU did on Tuesday. He buried his first of four 3-pointers just 1:12 into the game and remained the nation’s most accurate shooter (54 percent) from beyond the arc this season.

“When you look at the numbers, they’re absurd,” Otzelberger said of Momcilovic’s high volume, long range stats. “He has 20 points and it’s like a quiet 20 that we’re not that impressed with because of the standard that he’s set.”

The Cyclones set an impressive tone early, racing out to a 29-16 lead midway through the first half. But UCF responded with a 10-2 spurt to pull back within striking distance, at 31-26, five minutes later.

Uh-oh?

Not quite.

Backup guard Jamarion Batemon then sparked a 13-0 flourish to close the first half that created an 18-point cushion that ballooned from there.

Batemon scored 12 points as did fellow freshman guard Killyan Toure — who drained a pair of 3-pointers after shooting 17.6 percent from beyond the arc (3-for-17) in the previous 10 games. Senior point guard Tamin Lipsey scored just five points, but also notched a game-high five steals to go with six assists. The Cyclones amassed 22 assists to just five turnovers as they notched the 10th 30-plus point conference win in program history.

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“I thought we did a better job of moving the ball,” Momcilovic said. “First and foremost, we just got out in transition. I think we had 18 transition points in the first half, so that’s big, just getting easier buckets.”

One key play during that decisive 13-0 run to close the opening half led to a huge bucket. Toure slid on the floor to save an offensive rebound. The ball eventually found Batemon’s hands and he promptly drilled a 3-pointer.

“We don’t think they’re 50-50 balls,” said Otzelberger, who had showed his team a clip of Kansas making a similar play in the recent blowout loss in Lawrence. “So for Killyan tonight, he really lays it on the line and (I’m) pleased with how he played. And that same play that didn’t happen in Lawrence happened for us today, and now we’ve gotta continue to do it.”

Jefferson plans to continue at least threatening to post triple-doubles because it means he’s excelling in multiple phases of the game. And as important as his points, rebounds and assists were against the Knights, a non-scoring hustle play became emblematic of his big night.

It came roughly six minutes into the game when UCF backup guard Chris Johnson appeared poised to throw down an uncontested dunk. Jefferson raced nearly 15 feet to prevent the easy basket and notched his only blocked shot of the game.

“I think we remember, I don’t know how many years ago, but he looks up to LeBron, and it was like LeBron James in the playoffs when he came out of nowhere and blocked the shot,” Otzelberger said. “That just shows his commitment to his teammates and winning, and how important it is. I think when you make those type of effort plays, that’s how you end up with a triple-double and the stats. Just proud of him and how much he’s landing on the line as a leader for our team.”

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