Iowa State’s Caleb Grill shows ‘unbelievable life lesson’ in win over LSU

MILWAUKEE — It would’ve been easy for Iowa State’s Caleb Grill to get discouraged in the second half.

He missed a layup that could’ve given the Cyclones some space from a lingering LSU team. It was his eighth shot of the night and his seventh miss.

Instead, the junior had a “huge” sequence of plays that helped No. 11-seed Iowa State fend off No. 6-seed LSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 59-54.

“He stayed the course when things didn't go his way,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “What an unbelievable life lesson, but paid off for him here tonight.”

Less than two minutes after that missed layup, Grill hit a 3-pointer that expanded the Cyclones’ lead to 39-35.

“We just kind of ran a play for the 3-pointer,” Grill said. “Obviously, I'm not even the first or second option on that, so luckily Tyrese found me.”

Then on the next play, he grabbed a steal and sped down the court for a fast-break dunk.

“Those are big energy plays,” Otzelberger said. “We knew we were going to have to make a lot of them.”

That 36-35 Iowa State lead before those plays ballooned to 41-35.

While Grill missed all four shots after that minute, those two plays had a lasting impact Friday.

“When he gets going, our guys get really excited,” Otzelberger said. “As we came to that timeout, the energy was at a high.”

Teammate Aljaz Kunc said the Cyclones “need that on Sunday as well” from Grill.

“He brings energy to everyone,” Kunc said. “He lifts the spirits of the whole team, especially when he gets going like that.”

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