NOTEBOOK: Heise breaks out and bigs help close No. 5 Marquette at Hilton – CycloneFanatic.com

Dec 4, 2024; Ames, Iowa, USA; The Iowa State Cyclones bench celebrates after Cyclones guard Nate Heise (0) makes a basket against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory attribution: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

AMES – Iowa State closed its game Wednesday with a 20-9 run in the final nine minutes to secure an 81-70 victory over No. 5 Marquette at Hilton Coliseum.

After a 10-0 run by Marquette tied the game at 61 with 9:07 to play, Iowa State flipped the script.

“We were in a similar situation in the Auburn game where we were up and then we came back,” Coach said TJ Ötzelberger said. “We took back the lead, which is hard to do, and I think our guys know from that experience that there will continue to be good teams. So it felt like we made a more concerted effort defensively to get the ball in the right position, get off the dribble and keep it away from where they were making longer jump shots.”

The game changed when Nate Heise was placed on Marquette’s Kam Jones

During the time out, Otzelberger stepped up Nate Heise in the game with the assignment of guarding Marquette point guard Came Jones.

“Especially Kam Jones – he was great with them making plays and setting people up, and then Nate Heise and the job he did in the second half protecting Jones… man, he was phenomenal,” Otzelberger said . “He was physical. He was competitive. He was hard. Nate was definitely a big time difference when it came to defense.”

While he limited Jones to just two points in the final nine minutes, Heise had two high-energy three-pointers that caught the attention of the Hilton crowd.

The senior hit a 3-pointer to give the Cyclones their largest lead of the game at 15 points with 3:06 to play, and later sent a ball into the student section with a block he had on the defensive end .

“Well, we knew Nate Heise was a really good basketball player on defense, especially as a closed-back defender,” Otzelberger said. “He’s done such a great job – I have so much confidence in him. And I can tell you, one of my favorite moments this season was the three-pointer he shot. The courage to take that shot – it’s a big shot – and as much as he did defensively, that’s a big game. And he brings a lot of energy for us, he had the dunk on the cut in the first half. I mean, he brings a lot of energy to the field for us.

“Then to do what he did defensively — he was locked in and it was really great to see,” Otzelberger said.

The big boys had their best game as a unit

The duo of Dishon Jackson, Joshua Jefferson Each one stood out in different ways in Iowa State’s win – it was the first in program history over a top-five team in non-conference play at Hilton Coliseum.

Both Jackson and Jefferson were monster on the boards, combining for 19 rebounds and 26 points.

As the game continued, Jefferson ended the game with a defensive stop by throwing a 360 spin move at the Marquette defender and finishing it at the rim to make it 1-1.

“These guys are really hard workers. They are guys who are talented – both of them. You have great hands. You can finish. They convert the ball at the foul line and pass it well. I think with Dishon you see him a lot more rhythmic. His confidence is much higher. He communicates better. His body language and energy on the pitch are great.

“And I mean Joshua, what a difference he made tonight,” Otzelberger said. “He knew he had to attack in the paint and on the edge of the glass. I think with these guys you continue to see them progress. When we recruited them, we had confidence in what they could do and you can see them improving on the competition.”

If Iowa State can get these two to play like this routinely, the ceiling will certainly get higher.

Tamin Lipsey is not at 100 percent at the moment

The point guard finished the night shooting 0-4 and had four assists with just one point to his name.

Otzelberger confirmed reports Wednesday that Lipsey wasn’t fully healthy at this point in the year.

“Tamin’s ball defense – I would put up with anyone in the country,” Otzelberger said. “His competitive spirit, his toughness, his physicality and his focus… he’s really special in that way.” He commands our team. He’s still like everyone else out there – we talk about what Keshon (Gilbert) brings… well, when Tamin is out there, he just has a command and a demeanor and a veteran experience in how he carries himself.

“He’s completely under the weather at the moment,” said Otzelberger. “He’s nowhere near 100 percent, but he’s putting everything on the line and doing everything we need to be effective. I’m really proud of Tamin. I thought he did great tonight. You can’t look at the stats and say, “Ah, he had a point or four assists or anything to do with it.” He was a very impactful player… hopefully we can get him healthy so he can be the player that we all know he can be and perform at this level. We will continue to review this and do what we can to support him. I love Tamin Lipsey. He’s a winner.”

Iowa State will return to the court on Sunday to face Jackson State before traveling to Iowa City next Thursday for its annual Cy-Hawk Series matchup against Iowa.