Iowa State basketball's defense keeps the Cyclones perfect with win at Creighton

OMAHA — Iowa State's offense didn't make the trip across the Missouri River with the Cyclones, but the defense came along for the ride.

It turned out to be the only companion the Cyclones needed to stay undefeated.

No. 23 Iowa State out-muscled Creighton to secure a 64-58 victory Saturday night at CHI Health Center to improve to 8-0 on the season.

Not only do the Cyclones still have a perfect record, but half of their victories have come against high-major opponents in coach T.J. Otzelberger's first season at the helm.

"T.J. has done a great job getting Iowa State to buy in to what he wants them to do," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. "They play with great energy and toughness.

"He’s got them believing."

The Bluejays (7-2) shot 42.2% from the floor and 31.6% from 3-point range while turning it over 21 times. They converted just 35.7% of their shots in the second half against a tenacious Iowa State defense.

Iowa State's defensive performance outweighed its own struggles on the offensive end. The Cyclones shot 41.2% while its three leading scorers of Izaiah Brockington, Gabe Kalscheur and Tyrese Hunter combined to shoot 8 of 27 (29.6%). Brockington finished with 10 points while Hunter had 8.

The Cyclones did make 7 of 14 shots from distance.

"It speaks volumes to the job our guys did do defensively, especially with our offense not being great," Otzelberger said.

With the usual contributors struggling, Iowa State got 16 points from reserve Caleb Grill, who made all four of his 3-point attempts. Tre Jackson and Jaz Kunc both had 7 points apiece.

"Caleb’s 3s were big," Otzelberger said. "We kind of piecemealed it together (offensively).

"It was kind of a choppy game and there wasn't a great flow to it, and it was kind of across the board guys making timely shots."

The game pit McDermott, who led Iowa State from 2006-10, against his one-time assistant Otzelberger, who was hired for his first Division I job by McDermott in 2006.

"I couldn't have more respect for their program and the job that coach McDermott does every day," Otzelberger said. "I know first-hand in working for him, how much I've learned from him, how much of what we do we've taken away from him.

"It's not an easy game emotionally to play, but I'm proud of our guys."

The win was the first road victory for the Iowa State program since Feb. 16, 2019 at Kansas State. It was a losing streak that had stretched to25 games.

"We knew coming in just seeing the place was sold out and there were so many people against us in that building," Brockington said, "it felt like it just brought us closer."

The first half proved to be a severe struggle for both offenses.

Creighton's first bucket came when Ryan Nembhard's lob pass missed its intended target — and instead went into the basket for a 3-pointer. The Bluejays' second came on Nembhard's end-of-shot-clock heave from about 25 feet.

The Bluejays turned it over 13 times in the game's first 13 minutes. Iowa State's trio of Brockington, Kalscheur and Hunter were a combined 1-for-15 from the floor while the Cyclones shot just 33% from the field as a team in the first 20 minutes.

Iowa State, though, closed out the half on a 7-0 run, getting a last-second 3 from Grill, to go into halftime tied.

"Going into half with a 7-0 run, it gave us energy in the second half and to finish the game," Grill said. "That 7-0 run to finish the (half) helped us propel to our win tonight."

Halftime did little to shake either team out of their offensive funk, with the second half once again being dominated by defense.

"Not every night the shots are going to go down or your offense is going to be perfect," Grill said, "but there’s one thing you can do and that’s bring it on the defensive end every night. That’s just what we did tonight, and that’s why we won. "

Iowa State will return home this week to host rival Iowa on Thursday. The Hawkeyes are 7-1 and have won three straight in the Cy-Hawk series, including a 105-77 thrashing last season.

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 at @TravisHines21.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball keeps perfect record with win at Creighton