OMAHA, Neb. -- Tamin Lipsey scored 15 points, Iowa State cranked up the second-half pressure against Washington State, and the No. 2 seed Cyclones marched into their seventh Sweet 16 with a 67-56 victory over the seventh-seeded Cougars in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night.
Curtis Jones added 14 points and Keshon Gilbert and Milan Momcilovic had 10 apiece for the Cyclones (29-7), who made it to the second weekend of the tourney for the second time in three years.
Jaylen Wells scored 20 points and Myles Rice had 13 for the Cougars (25-10), who were sent back to the Palouse still searching for their first Sweet 16 appearance since Tony Bennett was on the sideline in 2008.
Iowa State spent most of the first half in shambles thanks to what current Cougars Coach Kyle Smith calls "the shawmbles," a suffocating style of defense named for associated head coach and defensive whiz Jim Shaw. The Cougars aggressively jumped passing lanes, harried the Cyclones' shooters on the perimeter and crashed the boards with abandon.
While Iowa State was busy missing 14 of its first 17 shots, Wells was going 7 of 12 in the first half for 16 points, proving the March Madness stage was not too big for a kid playing Division II ball at Sonoma State a year ago.
The Cyclones finally got going by going downhill. Lipsey and Gilbert attacked the rim, getting layups or drawing fouls, and slowly they crawled back into the game. By the time Hason Ward scored on an alley-oop lay-in in the closing seconds of the half, the Big 12 tourney champs had forged a 27-all tie with the regular-season Pac-12 runner-ups.
Washington State had handled Iowa State's defense in the first half, turning the ball over just five times. But as the game pressed on, and the Cyclones pulled ahead, the Cougars suddenly began throwing the ball into the first row of seats.
ILLINOIS 89,
DUQUESNE 63
OMAHA, Neb. -- Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 30 points, Marcus Domask added 22 and No. 3 seed Illinois made fast work of 11th-seeded Duquesne to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005.
Illinois (28-8) hadn't made it through the first weekend of the tournament in eight previous appearances, a maddening run of frustration the Illini ended in resounding fashion.
The Illini will play No. 2 seed Iowa State in an East Region semifinal in Boston on Thursday night.
Duquesne (25-12), which came in on a nine-game win streak, had its first tournament appearance since 1977 end with its worst loss of the season that sent 65-year-old Coach Keith Dambrot into retirement.
Jimmy Clark III scored 14 points and Fousseyni Drame had 13 for Duquesne.
Iowa State guard Keshon Gilbert (10) looses the ball after being fouled in the first half of a second-round college basketball game against Washington State in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Washington State guard Myles Rice (2) shoots against Iowa State in the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Washington State forward Isaac Jones (13) blocks the shot of Iowa State guard Keshon Gilbert (10) in the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/John Peterson)
Iowa State forward Hason Ward (24) grabs a rebound in front of Washington State forward Isaac Jones (13) in the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa State guard Keshon Gilbert (10) makes a pass in front of Washington State forward Andrej Jakimovski (23) in the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Washington State forward Isaac Jones (13) blocks the shot of Iowa State guard Keshon Gilbert (10) in the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa State head coach T. J. Otzelberger cheers for his team as they played against Washington State in the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Iowa State forward Hason Ward (24) gets a dunk over Washington State forward Oscar Cluff (45) and forward Isaac Jones (13) in the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)