KANSAS CITY – Throughout its nine-game winning streak, BYU has found a variety of ways to win.
On Thursday the battle-tested and red-hot Cougars withstood a Curtis Jones barrage, plus a tenacious effort by a short-handed Iowa State basketball team that didn’t play like it was down two starters.
The fourth-seeded Cougars stepped up in crunch time, snatched the lead and made all the key plays to hang on for a 96-92 win in Thursday’s Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals.
BYU went on an 11-0 run midway through the second half, which allowed the Cougars to tie the score and pull ahead. After an exchange of baskets, BYU took the lead for good after a Keba Keita basket with 6:02 remaining. It remained close throughout, but BYU’s zone defense was tough for Iowa State to crack and Richie Saunders made numerous clutch plays to help the Cougars hang on.
More: Iowa State basketball’s Curtis Jones puts on a first-half show vs BYU in Big 12 Tournament
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Saunders hit a crucial 3-pointer with 49.1 seconds remaining to give BYU a 92-88 lead. The extra cushioning made it tough for Iowa State to crawl back in the final moments of the game.
Jones had 22 of his game-high 31 points in the first half. He shot 11-of-22 overall and 7-for-15 from deep. Milan Momcilovic finished with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Joshua Jefferson had 14 points, three rebounds, six assists, two steals and five turnovers. Dishon Jackson also had 14 points and two blocks.
Keshon Gilbert was ruled out with a strained groin before Thursday’s game tipped off. Tamin Lipsey was said to be available, but he ended up not playing. Lipsey suffered a groin injury in the closing minutes of Iowa State’s Big 12 Tournament second-round win over Cincinnati.
BYU started the game blistering hot. Its efficient and unselfish offense was on display, with the ball constantly on the move. Cougars passed up good looks to get even greater ones, and they built an early 25-15 lead with 12:02 remaining in the first half.
Dawson Baker capped the hot start with a 3-pointer. During the opening eight minutes of the game, the Cougars shot 9-of-13, with five different players cashing in from the 3-point line.
Iowa State battled and started to string together some stops and went on a 9-0 run to make it a one-possession game.
More: Iowa State basketball vs. BYU recap: Undermanned Cyclones lose Big 12 Tournament shootout
Both teams traded baskets until Jones started to heat up and pulled the Cyclones in front. Jones scored 14 points in a 20-6 Iowa State run that gave the Cyclones their first lead of the game, which they briefly pushed into double figures after Momcilovic topped the surge off with a 3-pointer to make it 49-39 with 3:08 left.
The Cougars regained some traction to end the half, but a clutch block by Demarion Watson allowed the Cyclones to hang on to a 53-49 halftime lead.
Saunders led BYU with 23 points. Fousseyni Traore added 15 points off the bench. Trevin Knell had 14 points and shot 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. Mihailo Boskovic added 10 points and five rebounds. Keita had nine points and 10 rebounds.
Iowa State is now 24-9 overall. The Cyclones will await their fate on Selection Sunday to see where they will end up in the NCAA Tournament.
