Iowa State blitzes Kentucky in 2nd half to earn dominant win

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Tamin Lipsey had 26 points and 10 assists to help Iowa State make up for the absence of injured All-American Joshua Jefferson, and the second-seeded Cyclones suffocated No. 7 seed Kentucky on defense Sunday, earning a trip back to the Sweet 16 with an 82-63 victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Milan Momcilovic added 20 points and Nate Heise scored 12 for the Cyclones (29-7), who will play third-seeded Virginia or No. 6 seed Tennessee in the Midwest Region semifinals on Friday night in Chicago.

It will be the eighth Sweet 16 trip for the Cyclones and the third under T.J. Otzelberger, though the question now is whether they will be whole for it. Jefferson, their second-leading scorer and top rebounder, watched from the end of the Iowa State bench with the ankle that he sprained in a first-round win over Tennessee State still in a boot.

Kentucky (22-14) jumped to a 20-9 lead in the opening minutes Sunday before Iowa State fought back for a 31-30 halftime lead.

The Wildcats were still within 46-40 with 13 1/2 minutes to play when the Cyclones quickly forced three of the Wildcats' 20 turnovers. They converted all three of them into baskets at the other end as part of a 13-1 run, which not only allowed Otzelberger's crew to seize control but also seemed to finally deflate Kentucky.

The Wildcats had been buzzing after a buzzer-beater from Otega Oweh forced overtime in a first-round victory over Santa Clara.

Oweh followed up his 35-point performance against the Broncos with 18 against the Cyclones, playing most of the second half in foul trouble. Denzel Aberdeen led the Wildcats with 20 points, though the pair of guards didn't get much more help.

For two teams that can score points in bunches, there was little elegance for much of their first meeting since the 2012 NCAA tourney, when the Wildcats beat Iowa State in the second round on their way to winning the national championship.

The Cyclones missed their first 11 tries from beyond the 3-point arc. Kentucky had 12 turnovers in the first half.

Iowa State eventually began driving to the basket and picking up fouls, and generated offense from the free-throw line until its shots started to fall. That began just before the break, and Heise's buzzer-beating 3 gave the Cyclones a 31-30 advantage.

They went on to outscore Kentucky 51-33 after halftime to coast into the Sweet 16.

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Iowa State and Virginia have split four previous meetings, though the Cavaliers won the most recent matchup and the only one in the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers cruised 84-71 in the Sweet 16 on March 25, 2016, before losing to Syracuse in the Elite Eight.

The Cyclones beat Tennessee during the 1969 season but they've lost the last two to the Volunteers, the first during a tournament in December 1977 and the most recent on January 27, 2018, during the Big 12-SEC Challenge.

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