Cyclones close foreign tour with 79-66 win over Puerto Rico

The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications.

NASSAU, Bahamas – The Iowa State men’s basketball team closed its foreign tour to the Bahamas with a 79-66 victory over the Puerto Rico National Team Wednesday afternoon at the Imperial Ballroom.

The Cyclones held an 18-12 lead after the opening quarter and pushed the lead to 35-26 at the half. Iowa State opened the second half on a 19-3 run, extending the lead to 54-29. Puerto Rico answered with a run of its own, cutting the lead to 59-41 going into the fourth quarter. Puerto Rico held a 25-20 advantage in the fourth quarter.

“I was pleased with the way we started the game today,” Iowa State Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “Our veteran players have done a great job in these three games of setting the tone and being leaders for our younger guys.”

Keshon Gilbert led the Cyclones with 18 points, while Jackson Paveletzke and Curtis Jones had 14 and 12 respectively. Tre King and Tamin Lipsey each had 10 points. Hason Ward had a game-high eight rebounds, while C. Jones and Lipsey each had five. Gilbert and King added four boards each. Lipsey added to his impressive stat line with nine assists, while Gilbert did the same with six assists. Lipsey finished with a game-high four steals, while C. Jones had a pair. King and Milan Momcilovic each blocked a shot.

“We had really good scoring balance in our three games, with three different guys leading us,” Otzelberger said.

Iowa State will open the regular season Nov. 6 at Hilton Coliseum against Green Bay.