Iowa State’s Pressure Overwhelms Utah In The Huntsman
Feb 24, 2026, 9:35 PM | Updated: 9:42 pm
Feb 24, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes guard Terrence Brown (middle) looks to pass against Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (left) and forward Blake Buchanan (right) during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
(right)
SALT LAKE CITY — Don McHenry opened the night with a four-point play just 32 seconds in, and for a brief moment inside the Huntsman Center, it felt like Utah had a surprising rhythm against Iowa State, one of the Big 12’s most suffocating defenses.
Then Iowa State turned the game into exactly what it wanted — and this time, they sustained it for 40 minutes.
The Cyclones rode relentless on-ball pressure, paint dominance and timely second-half shooting to a 75-59 win, leading for more than 33 minutes and pushing their advantage to as many as 17 in the second half.
Final from the Huntsman Center
#4 Iowa State – 75
Utah – 59— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 25, 2026
Utah Started Solid But Iowa State’s Defense Clamped Down
After forcing a stop on Iowa State’s first possession, Don McHenry buried a three from the wing and converted the free throw after drawing contact — a four-point play that gave Utah a 4–0 lead less than a minute in. Terrence Brown followed with an early transition layup, and the Utes jumped out to an 8–6 edge with pace and purpose.
For roughly the first six minutes, Utah looked comfortable. Brown attacked downhill and finished twice in transition. Abbey came off the bench and immediately made an impact, scoring on a mid-range jumper and then converting a fast-break layup to briefly give Utah a 12–10 lead. The ball moved. The cuts were sharp. The energy matched the moment.
Midway through the first half, the Cyclones started extending pressure well beyond the three-point line. Their guards denied easy reversals, overplayed passing lanes, and forced Utah’s offense to begin nearly 30 feet from the rim. The margin for error shrank with every possession.
Even when Utah answered — Brown attacking the rim, McHenry hitting his second three, Traore knocking down a key triple to cut it to 29–27 — Iowa State responded immediately. A second-chance bucket here. A transition dunk there. A late-clock execution.
At halftime, Iowa State led 41–31. The Utes shot 52% in the first half (13-25) and hit 4-of-10 from three (40%). On the surface, that’s good enough to compete. The Cyclones shot 53% in the first half (18-34) and scored 26 paint points before halftime. More importantly, they forced 11 first-half turnovers, converting those into 14 points off turnovers.
Utah trimmed the margin to five after back-to-back dunks from Keanu Dawes and a steady sequence from McHenry. The score sat at 40–45 with 16:51 remaining. The building had life.
Then Iowa State responded with grown-man poise. Milan Momcilovic drilled three second-half threes — including back-to-back daggers that stretched the lead to 17 at 61–44 with ten minutes to go.
From there, Iowa State controlled the game. Every time Utah inched forward, Iowa State answered with precision.
Pressure That Never Let Up
Utah finished with 18 turnovers, and Iowa State turned those into 20 points. Many of them were live-ball miscues near half court, the same structural breakdowns that showed up in the first half — guards picking up their dribble, limited outlets, late relief.
Terrence Brown led Utah with 18 points, but he also committed seven turnovers under sustained pressure. McHenry added 14 points on efficient shooting, and Dawes chipped in 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds, but the Utes struggled to string clean possessions together.
Seydou Traore and others took turns initiating offense to relieve pressure, but Iowa State’s length and physicality forced Utah to operate far from the rim. When possessions start at 30 feet, you’re already playing uphill.
Utah finished with an average .894 points per possession. They scored on just 40% of their possessions. And turned it over on 28% of their possessions.
Iowa State’s Control and Balance
The Cyclones finished shooting 47.5% (28-59) from the field and 7-of-23 from three (30%), while getting to the line 18 times.
Utah shot a respectable 45% (21-46) overall but just 33% in the second half (8-21) and 2-of-8 from three after halftime.
Inside, Iowa State dominated:
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Points in the paint: 38–26
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Rebounds: 32–30
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Bench points: 26–8
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Second-chance points: 6–4
Joshua Jefferson led all scorers with 21 points and six rebounds, attacking downhill and living at the free-throw line (7-of-10). Milan Momcilovic added 14 points, including four made threes. Batemon chipped in 13 off the bench.
The Story of the Game
This game wasn’t decided by hot shooting. It was decided by who could handle pressure — and who couldn’t.
Utah finished with 18 turnovers, and many of them weren’t reckless plays. They were forced. Iowa State’s on-ball pressure disrupted the first action, their perimeter denial took away reversal passes, and suddenly Utah was initiating offense 30 feet from the basket with nowhere to go.
Dribbles got picked up. Passing angles vanished. Guards were funneled toward traps near the sideline and half court. When the first read wasn’t there, the second one rarely materialized in time.
The result: 20 Cyclone points off turnovers and a steady disruption of Utah’s rhythm.
Every time Utah made a mini push — a Dawes dunk, a McHenry jumper, a Brown free-throw trip — Iowa State answered by tightening the screws defensively. Deny the wing. Pressure the handle. Force a reset. Force a mistake.
Against elite defensive teams, execution has to be sharp and decisive. Utah had stretches of it. Iowa State had it for 40 minutes.
