Iowa State basketball falls at West Virginia, first Big 12 loss for Cyclones this season

Posted by Admin January 19, 2025 Basketball

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MORGANTOWN, W.V. – For as far as Iowa State men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger has brought the Cyclones during his brief tenure leading the program, there’s one thing even he hasn’t figured out how to do.

Win at West Virginia.

Iowa State suffered its first loss in Big 12 Conference play as the second-ranked Cyclones lost to No. 25 West Virginia, 64-57, at WVU Coliseum on Saturday night.

The loss ended a 12-game winning streak for Iowa State, which fell to 15-2 on the season including 5-1 in league play. It marked the first setback for Iowa State since a 83-81 loss to Auburn during the Maui Invitational on Nov. 25.

Saturday’s loss was a more than familiar story for the Cyclones who have struggled to win at West Virginia for a long time. It marked the ninth straight loss for the Cyclones at West Virginia.

Their last victory in Morgantown came back in 2015 with Fred Hoiberg coaching a squad that included stars Georges Niang and Abdel Nader.

It marked the ninth straight loss for the Cyclones at West Virginia. Their last victory in Morgantown came back in 2015 with Fred Hoiberg coaching a squad that included stars Georges Niang and Abdel Nader.

“This is a really good West Virginia team and a really challenging environment to play in,” Otzelberger said after the game.

Meanwhile, it was another marquee victory for Iowa native and former Drake coach Darian DeVries. He already led his team to a huge victory at Kansas earlier this season, but Saturday was perhaps the biggest win of his coaching career.

The Mountaineers improved to 13-4 on the season and 4-2 in Big 12 play during DeVries’ first season at the helm. The latest win even came with his son Tucker DeVries, a star for West Virginia, still out with an upper body injury.

It didn’t stop the Mountaineers from getting another resume-building win while forcing 14 turnovers on Iowa State and limiting the Cyclones to just 5.9% (1-for-17) shooting from 3-point range.

“All the credit goes to them,” Otzelberger said. “They did a great job. They put us on our heels. They were the more aggressive team and if you’re going to win on the road, that can’t be the case.”

Curtis Jones finished with 18 points for the Cyclones. Keshon Gilbert added 13 and Joshua Jefferson added 10.

The 57 points were a season-low and the 24 first-half points were also a season-low for Iowa State.

After falling behind 6-0 to start the game, the Cyclones connected on five straight shots and went on a 15-3 run to briefly take control. The momentum didn’t last.

Iowa State went 0-11 from 3-point range in the first half. West Virginia took advantage of the troubles, connecting on five 3-pointers over the first 20 minutes. Two of those came during a 10-1 run.

Amani Hansberry capped it off by draining a 3-pointer to give the Mountaineers a 25-22 lead. A late layup by Gilbert brought the Cyclones within one at halftime.

Iowa State missed its first 13 shots from 3-point range but finally connected on one when Jones swished a shot from beyond the arc with 13:18 remaining in the second half to give Iowa State a 35-34 lead.

West Virginia quickly took the lead back on a 3-pointer by Jonathan Powell. A back-and-forth battle ensued in a game that featured six ties and 10 lead changes.

But the turnovers and lack of 3-point shooting caught up with Iowa State. The Cyclones had just four assists on 25 made baskets.

“That ain’t really a recipe for success,” Jones said. “They did a really good job of defending.”

Especially down the stretch. Gilbert tied the game 49-49 on a layup with 2:34 left to play. But the Mountaineers took over at the end of the game.

West Virginia’s Javon Small, who finished with a game-high 27 points, scored 12 of his team’s final 13 points down the stretch.

The biggest blow for Iowa State came with under a minute to play when Small swished a 3-pointer to push the lead to 59-51.

“I think it’s obviously a big win for us and our program,” Darian DeVries said. “I think the world of Iowa State. They’re an incredibly well-coached, a great team.

“I think they’re one of the best teams in the country and have a chance to play on that last day (of the season).”

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468