Iowa State men's basketball beats VCU behind Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert
Iowa State guards Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert kept attacking the basket Thursday against VCU, and their aggressive drives lifted the Cyclones to a hard-fought and impressive victory.
The Iowa State men's basketball team rallied to beat VCU 68-64 at the ESPN Events Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Lipsey and Gilbert scored 22 points apiece, and their ability to score in the paint against VCU's big defenders was the difference in the game. Also credit Robert Jones' punishing screens that allowed the Cyclone guards to get free on those drives.
The Cyclones led for only 3 minutes 50 seconds. VCU led for 35:08
Gilbert scored 16 points in the second half. Lipsey had 14. They combined to shoot 11-of-16 after halftime. As a team, Iowa State shot 61% from the field in the second half.
Gilbert made two free throws to give Iowa State (5-0) a 67-64 lead with 26 seconds left. Curtis Jones made a free throw with five seconds left to ice it at 68-64.
VCU (3-2) shot 55% in the first half, including 5-of-10 from 3-point range, and led by 15 points with 1:35 left. Lipsey sunk a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the half to cut the Cyclones' halftime deficit to nine points (33-24).
Iowa State's Robert Jones made all four of his field-goal attempts in the first half. The rest of the Cyclones combined to shoot 3-for-27. Gilbert helped Iowa State stay in the game by sinking six of his seven free throws.
Lipsey and Robert Jones led Iowa State in the first half with eight points apiece. Lipsey, the team's point guard, also led the Cyclones with five rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Gilbert had a team-high 10 rebounds for the game.
Iowa State, an 11.5-point favorite entering the game, will play Boise State or Virginia Tech on Friday.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball beats VCU behind Tamin Lipsey, Keshon Gilbert
