Published Dec 17, 2023
ISU's non-conference roll continues with Florida A&M rout
Roger Fritz
Special to Cyclone Report

Iowa State stretched its home non-conference winning streak to 25 games with a 96-58 win over Florida A&M Rattlers on Sunday. The Rattlers were playing their second game in the 515 Area Code in as many days, after falling to Iowa 88-54 on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

The Cyclones raised their record all time to 2-1 all-time against the Rattlers, avenging their last meeting, when the visitors came away with a 70-68 win on December 31, 2019.

ISU left no doubt in this matchup, jumping out to a 44-24 halftime lead on a balanced scoring effort. Tre King had nine quick points, and Jackson Paveletzke came off the bench to drain two quick 3-pointers. Tamin Lipsey came on strong near the end of the first half, with three 3-pointers before the break. Eight Cyclones entered the game in the first half, with seven of them scoring.

The second half was much the same, with more balanced scoring for the Cyclones. The Rattlers chipped in more points, with a 6-0 ISU run being the largest allowed in the final 20 minutes.

The Cyclones never trailed in the game, taking a 3-0 lead with a King layup 20 seconds into the game, and completing the 3-point play with a made free throw after he was fouled. Seven minutes into the game, the Cyclones started a 14-0 run with five different players scoring.

The Cyclones were led by Lipsey's 19 points and also got 18 points from King. Also in double figures were Milan Momcilovic (14), Paveletzke (13) and Keshon Gilbert (10). King also had a double- double with 10 rebounds to go with his 18 points. Lipsey improved on his 15.1 point-per-game scoring average with his 19. Eleven Cyclones played in the contest, with all but Conrad Hawley and Cade Kelderman contributing in the scoring column.

The Rattlers were led by Keith Lamar, who dropped in a game leading 27 points. Morrel Schramm had 10. No other Rattler reached double figures.

The Cyclones raised their season record to 9-2. Florida A&M dropped to 2-7. Next up for ISU is a Thursday night matchup against Eastern Illinois in Hilton Coliseum.