Thomas’ defense key to Iowa State’s win against Iowa

AMES — Matt Thomas wasn't engaged in a conversation, or even a series of conversations, that led him to the notion that he needed to ramp it up on defense.

Iowa State coach Steve Prohm hammered home the idea that defense would take the No. 2 Cyclones — known for offensive efficiency — to the next level. Thomas bought in wholeheartedly and is reaping the benefits of his offseason work.

'In my first couple years I felt like at times I was a liability on that end of the floor and that kept me out of games at times,' Thomas said. 'I just worked on my feet and lateral quickness this summer. I want to bring that toughness role in every time I step on the court and help this team rebound.'

The junior guard's defensive effort can be largely attributed to how Iowa State beat Iowa 83-82 Thursday after falling behind by as many as 20 points. Prohm assigned Thomas to guard Jarrod Uthoff, who had 30 points in the first half. After the break, Uthoff managed just two points on 1-of-7 shooting and missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Thomas attributed his defensive success to playing less help defense, but was still able to pour in 19 points on the other end and grab four rebounds in 28 minutes. Iowa State (8-0) had an off day Friday before it hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday at 5 p.m. before Saturday's matchup against Northern Iowa in the Big Four Classic in Des Moines.

'That kid can really flat out hoop and he has the ultimate confidence in himself and I'm happy for him that he got the opportunity to make things happen because he played unbelievable (Thursday night),' Georges Niang said of Thomas. 'If we didn't have him, it would be an ugly game.'

As a 6-foot-4 sixth man, Thomas is averaging 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds while hitting at a 42.9 percent clip from 3-point range. He's lean at 197 pounds, but learned to use position and timing to up his rebounding numbers — Thomas collected a career-high 11 boards this season against Chicago State.

Iowa State has played Arkansas-Pine Bluff three times, winning all three by an average of 30.3 points. Sunday's contest might not come down to the wire like the Cyclones' win against Iowa, but Thomas proved he deserves some of the attention being paid to his nationally-recognized teammates.

'Matt did a tremendous job,' Prohm said of Thursday's performance. 'Matt's been great. Matt's got great size. He's what we all wish when we were 21-years old or even 41 now, what you look like when you take your shirt off.'

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