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03/20 16:30 CDT Iowa State loses star F Joshua Jefferson to an injury in
first-round NCAA blowout of Tennessee State
Iowa State loses star F Joshua Jefferson to an injury in first-round NCAA
blowout of Tennessee State
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Basketball Writer
ST. LOUIS (AP) --- Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson left in the first half of
the second-seeded Cyclones' 108-74 romp past No. 15 seed Tennessee State with a
left ankle injury Friday, leaving the All-American's status for the remainder
of the NCAA Tournament in doubt.
Jefferson landed awkwardly after a layup just 2 1/2 minutes into the
first-round matchup in the Midwest Region. The 6-foot-9 senior had to be helped
by trainers to the X-ray room, emerged about 10 minutes later using crutches,
and watched the second half from the end of the Iowa State bench with his ankle
in a bulky gray boot.
Nate Heise had eight of his season-high 23 points during a 23-0 run for the
Cyclones (28-7), which began shortly after Jefferson was hurt and sent them
breezing past the Tigers (23-10) and into a second-round matchup with
seventh-seeded Kentucky on Sunday.
The Wildcats beat No. 10 seed Santa Clara 89-84 in an overtime thriller to
begin the session at the Enterprise Center.
The Cyclones already were dealing with a groin injury that limited point guard
Tamin Lipsey in the Big 12 Tournament. Now, their depth will be tested even
more without Jefferson, who was second on the team in scoring and their leading
rebounder.
Freshman Killyan Toure had career-highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds against
the Tigers. Milan Momcilovic had 17 points and 6-foot-10 forward Blake
Buchanan, who becomes crucial should Jefferson be unavailable, had 11 points,
seven rebounds and eight assists.
The Cyclones' big first-half run turned a 9-7 lead into a 32-7 blowout in a
span of about five minutes. They pushed the advantage to 55-29 by halftime, and
the biggest cheer the rest of the way came when Jefferson joined his team on
the bench after the break.
Aaron Nkrumah had 21 points to lead Tennessee State, which former Duke star
Nolan Smith led to the Ohio Valley regular-season and tourney titles in his
first season as their head coach. Antoine Lorick III added 20 points and Travis
Harper II had 13.
Flagrant foul After watching Jefferson get hurt, Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger was predictably incensed when Tennessee State forward Kavien Jones grabbed Dominykas Pleta around the neck and dragged the Cyclones' forward to the ground. The Tigers' freshman received a Flagrant 2 foul, resulting in an immediate ejection, but apologized to Pleta on the way to the locker room.
Up next Iowa State has lost all three of its games against Kentucky, the last two in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The first of those was a 106-98 loss in 1992 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and the most recent an 87-71 loss in 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky; the Wildcats went on to beat Kansas for the national championship that season. ___ AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
Flagrant foul After watching Jefferson get hurt, Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger was predictably incensed when Tennessee State forward Kavien Jones grabbed Dominykas Pleta around the neck and dragged the Cyclones' forward to the ground. The Tigers' freshman received a Flagrant 2 foul, resulting in an immediate ejection, but apologized to Pleta on the way to the locker room.
Up next Iowa State has lost all three of its games against Kentucky, the last two in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The first of those was a 106-98 loss in 1992 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and the most recent an 87-71 loss in 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky; the Wildcats went on to beat Kansas for the national championship that season. ___ AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
