Turnovers Sink No. 20 BYU In Loss At No. 6 Iowa State
Mar 6, 2024, 9:35 PM | Updated: Mar 7, 2024, 2:48 pm
No. 20 BYU basketball falls on the road at No. 6 Iowa State 68-63 in Ames.
Iowa State stormed back from a 14-point deficit in the second half to complete its fifth undefeated season in program history at home.
BYU committed 17 turnovers against an Iowa State defense that ranks Top-2 in the country.
Richie Saunders scored a game-high 20 points off the bench for BYU and shot 7-12 from the field.
But aside from Saunders, it was a cold shooting night for BYU.
As a team, BYU made only three three-pointers on 29 attempts.
The Cougars shot 39% from the field.
Iowa State shot a lower percentage in the defensive battle, hitting only 37% of its shots.
Guard Tamin Lipsey led the Cyclones with 19 points, and senior Curtis Jones chipped in 18 in his final home game as a senior.
First Half: BYU starts slow, builds double-digit lead over Iowa State
13:43 – It was another slow start on the road for BYU basketball. BYU opened the game, missing its first five field goal attempts. Spencer Johnson scored BYU’s first points at the 16:15 mark.
Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic was successful early with his signature fadeaway jumpers, knocking down two.
Dallin Hall had a brief scare where he fell hard to the floor. For a moment, he was nursing his right leg, but he appeared to be okay.
BYU had three early turnovers. One of which negated a layup opportunity for Noah Waterman, who was stripped by Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey. Iowa State 9, BYU 4.
11:56 – Jaxson Robinson comes in off the bench and immediately knocks down BYU’s first three-pointer of the game.
Fellow second-unit standout Fousseyni Traore also recorded a block on Iowa State’s leading scorer, Keshon Gilbert. Iowa State 11, BYU 8.
8:42 – BYU takes its first lead of the game after Richie Saunders hits a second field goal. BYU 18, Iowa State 16.
7:16 – Aly Khalifa has been cold from three-point range since returning from his illness in February, hitting only one of his previous 10 three-point attempts. But he knocked down a wide-open look against the Cyclones.
Then Richie Saunders hit a corner three to extend BYU’s run to 12-2. BYU 24, Iowa State 18.
3:43 – BYU’s hot shooting cooled off as they went on a two-minute scoring drought. But Aly Khalifa is dishing out dimes. Spencer Johnson couldn’t finish on one of Khalifa’s great passes. BYU 29, Iowa State 23.
18.3 – BYU goes on an 8-0 run, thanks to Richie Saunders’s play. Saunders hit a three and then attacked Milan Momcilovic at the rim.
BYU called a timeout after officials called the Cougars for a back-court violation. Mark Pope disagreed with the call. BYU 38, Iowa State 27.
HALF—Richie Saunders finished the half with 15 points, was a perfect 6-6 from the field, and had a team-high (+20) plus/minus in the first half. BYU 38, Iowa State 27.
Second Half: BYU goes scoreless in final four minutes as Iowa State completes comeback
15:56 – Both teams started slow on the offensive end to open the half. Each team hit only one field goal. BYU 44, Iowa State 32.
11:33 – Iowa State knocked down four consecutive field goal attempts to energize the Hilton Coliseum crowd and trim BYU’s lead to six. BYU 51, Iowa State 45.
7:44 —The tides turned as Iowa State put together a 9-0 run behind Tamin Lipsey and senior Curtis Jones. Jones earned an and-one, which led to the Hilton Coliseum crowd giving him high-fives afterward.
BYU responded with a missed corner three by Trevin Knell. Fousseyni Traore gathered the offensive rebound but couldn’t knock down the putback.
Then Lipsey got a friendly home bounce off the rim to tie up the game with a three from the top of the arc. BYU 56, ISU 56.
7:02 – Spencer Johnson was trapped in the corner, leading to BYU burning its final timeout of the game. ISU 58, BYU 56.
3:33 – BYU was relentless on the offensive glass. On one possession, BYU had three 3-point attempts. Trevin Knell knocked down the third look, his first make of the game.
Both teams locked up defensively, making things difficult for each other. BYU held Iowa State to a scoring drought for 2:52 of game action.
Richie Saunders got BYU back in front with a drive to the basket that drew a foul and sent him to the line for two made free throws. BYU 63, ISU 61.
2:07 – Iowa State’s Robert Jones hit one of two free throws. Then, on the following Cyclones possession, Jones knocked down a spin move layup on Fousseyni Traore to put ISU back in front. Iowa State 64, BYU 63.
FINAL – BYU didn’t score in the final 4:24 of action. The Cougars committed three turnovers against the Iowa State Top-2 defense. Iowa State 68, BYU 63.
Up next for BYU basketball
BYU closes out the regular season this Saturday when they host the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Senior Day. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. (MT)/8 p.m. (CT) on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM).
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
