Iowa State basketball finishes non-con schedule with rout of New Hampshire

AMES – Tamin Lipsey found a rolling Robert Jones for an easy basket and the first points of Iowa State’s game Sunday against New Hampshire. Before the Hilton Coliseum jumbotron could even show the replay of the nifty bucket, Lipsey had stolen the ball from the Wildcats and netted a layup of his own.

It was that kind of day for the Cyclones.

Keshon Gilbert recorded the eighth triple-double in program history, and Iowa State piled on New Hampshire to earn an 85-70 victory on the last day of 2023.

"We’ve got to continue to stay mentally focused regardless of what’s going on in the game and have that defensive intent," Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said, "because when we have it and it leads to our offense, we play really well."

Gilbert finished the day with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists to give Iowa State its second triple-double of the season after Tamin Lipsey recorded one Dec. 1 against DePaul.

Iowa State had never before seen two triple-doubles in the same season but bookended this month with the feat by two different players.

"It means a lot," Gilbert said of the achievement. "Going into conference play with a lot more confidence."

Lipsey tallied 16 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals on the day while Milan Momcilovic added 15 points.

New Hampshire (8-5) committed 18 turnovers with 13 coming via Iowa State steals. The Wildcats shot 42 percent from the floor.

Iowa State finishes non-conference play with a record of 11-2 with Big 12 play set to begin Saturday at Oklahoma.

Hason Ward returns

Hason Ward checked into the game for the first time since Nov. 12 with 16 minutes, 27 seconds left in the first half, and he immediately grabbed his first rebound when the Wildcats missed a free throw.

"The last six weeks I was taking it day by day, trying to get back healthy, being there for my brothers, pouring into the team as much as I can," Ward said after the game. "It feels great to be back."

The 6-foot-9 senior finished the day with 10 points, six boards and three blocks in 17 productive minutes after missing six weeks following surgery on his foot.

"We need to continue to elevate his conditioning because I’m sure today was a challenge for him," Otzelberger said. "Overall, a good first outing for him."

Ward’s return may fly somewhat under the radar given that he's not a huge scorer nor has he been a dominating rim protector at Iowa State, but his presence gives Iowa State needed depth and versatility up front.

In his absence, Iowa State’s rotation shrunk to seven players. Omaha Biliew and Demarion Watson, potential competitors for Ward’s available minutes, were unable to crack the rotation. That left Iowa State thin up front and without the athleticism and shot blocking that Ward does bring.

"He’s very disruptive (with) his length and athleticism," Otzelberger said. "It gives us another dynamic to our team."

Now, Otzelberger will have the ability to either speed up Iowa State’s four-guard lineup with Ward at center or try two-big lineups with him at the four position.

That is the baseline of what Ward provides. If he’s able to deliver on the promise he flashed while drawing rave reviews from the coaching staff over the summer, he could provide an even more significant boost to the lineup and Iowa State’s prospects.

The chase-down block Ward delivered in the first half in which he snatched a would-be easy transition layup from New Hampshire certainly provides optimism that Ward could bring more than just lineup versatility and stability.

"It feels great to be back out there, getting back to myself," Ward said. "Being back on the floor with my boys, just an all-around good feeling."

Big 12 up next

Iowa State’s run of low- and mid-major opponents comes to an abrupt end now with Big 12 play set to begin.

The Cyclones get a difficult first test with a road game against surprisingly strong Oklahoma, which was picked 12th in the league’s preseason coaches poll but is ranked 13th nationally amid an 11-1 start to the season.

Even in its one-year 14-team iteration, the Big 12 looks to be as strong as ever with Kansas and Houston in the top five and four other teams ranked in the top 25.

Ten teams are ranked in the KenPom.com top 45, and the Big 12 is overwhelmingly judged as the country’s best conference by the analytics website.

"We’ve still got a number of guys that what’s coming at us here in the Big 12, the level of physical play, the athleticism – it's going to be new," Otzelberger said. "Not to discredit anybody we’ve played to this point, but every single night the mindset to be prepared to be at your best to do it on game night and then regardless of outcome get right back to practice and do it again."

The Cyclones’ chances of a third-straight NCAA Tournament will largely be determined by how they navigate the 18-game gauntlet after a strong non-conference showing that is long in blowout victories but short in marquee wins.

"They’re a group overall that does embrace the practice court, which is important," Otzelberger said. "We need to continue to get better.

"We have a long way to go."

Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or  (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball ends 2023 with another lopsided win