AMES — Iowa State basketball cleared the first hurdle of its loaded February gauntlet without any major hiccups.
The Cyclones defeated visiting Kansas, 74-56, at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 14. They improved to 22-3 overall and 9-3 in Big 12 Conference play.
Milan Momcilovic led the Cyclones with 18 points. Iowa State had four other players in double figures.
For Kansas, Melvin Council Jr. had 15 points.
Here are five standout stats from the Cyclones' win:
13 — Kansas turnovers
After creating just nine Kansas turnovers in the previous meeting this season at Allen Fieldhouse, the Cyclones were way more disruptive Saturday. Kansas had 10 turnovers in the first half, and it finished with 13 for the game. The Cyclones converted them into 19 points. They took care of the ball themselves and only had six giveaways.
Iowa State is at its best when it can wreak havoc and strike off opponents' mistakes, and the Cyclones certainly reminded everyone of that.
37.3% — Kansas shooting percentage for the game
In the first meeting, it seemed like Kansas was able to do whatever it wanted, especially in the paint or when initiating from the wing. As a result, the Jayhawks shot 50.8% overall and 50.0% from deep.
On Saturday, the Cyclones did a good job overall of forcing the Jayhawks' offensive action outside and denying things in the paint and made life difficult for Kansas. Although the game started as a low-scoring, defensive bout, once Iowa State got going offensively, it maintained its hustle on defense all throughout.
Kansas shot 37.3% overall and went 6-for-18 (33.3%) from long range.
20-2 — First-half Iowa State run to take control
After starting the game shooting 7-of-22 (31.8%), the Cyclones got into a groove and took control.
A Joshua Jefferson and-1 with 6:21 remaining in the first half got things going and helped trim the Kansas lead down to 20-19.
Blake Buchanan topped off the stretch with an and-1 of his own to give the Cyclones a 36-22 lead with 1:37 left in the half. The spurt, which nearly took up five minutes, featured only one basket by Flory Bidunga and Iowa State was able to force three turnovers and limit the Jayhawks to one-shot possessions.
In both meetings this season, the home team has had a large run that helped them build a double-digit lead. Once it got into double figures, they never looked back.
Iowa State led by as many as 14 in the opening half, which turned into a 37-27 halftime lead.
6 — Consecutive Iowa State 3-pointers to begin the second half
Iowa State had been shooting below 29% from beyond the arc in each of its last two games.
With the way the Cyclones were shooting it from deep in the first half, it looked like it was going to be another cold-shooting day from distance. Iowa State shot just 3-of-16 (18.8%) in the first half from 3-point range.
Despite that, the Cyclones still had a double-digit lead heading into the halftime break, and once they emerged from the locker room, they were scorching hot from long range. Iowa State shot with confidence and took open looks, making their first six 3-point shot attempts after the break. They made 7-of-8 from deep to start the second half.
Momcilovic had three 3-pointers during this surge, including a stepback, off-balanced attempt while floating to his left, that hit nothing but net. Tamin Lipsey supplied a couple of treys and Jamarion Batemon connected from beyond NBA range. Iowa State shot an improved 8-of-14 (57.1%) from deep in the second half.
The 3-point barrage helped the Cyclones lead by as much as 24 points, with 12:04 remaining in the game.
5 — Iowa State players in double-digit scoring
Jefferson dealt with foul trouble throughout the game and only had 26 minutes, but it's impressive to see Iowa State win by double figures in a marquee matchup. The Cyclones had various players step up throughout the game.
Jefferson finished with 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting and picked up his fourth foul with more than seven minutes remaining. He still had a series of momentum-boosting and-1s and a block on standout Darryn Peterson, but the Cyclones had plenty of contributors all around.
Dominykas Pleta and Blake Buchanan provided excellent energy inside and on the glass. Batemon had 11 points off the bench. Momcilovic caught fire from deep in the second half. Lipsey also eclipsed double figures after starting the game shooting 1-of-5. It felt like a true team effort.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 5 standout stats from Iowa State basketball vs Kansas