KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Iowa State (5-2, 0-0 Big 12) dropped its second game in a row on Sunday night, falling to No. 12 Texas A&M (6-1, 0-0 SEC) in the third-place game of the ESPN Events Invitational by a score of 73-69.

After leading by as many as 21 points in the first half, uncharacteristic turnovers and a poor shooting performance allowed the Aggies to sneak back in the game before they ultimately wrestled away control in the second half.

Iowa State claimed fourth place in the Thanksgiving MTE, marking three top-four finishes across the past three seasons under T.J. Otzelberger (first place in 2021 NIT Tip-Off, second place in 2022 Phil Knight Invitational).

The Cyclones had four players score in double figures on the day, as freshman Milan Momcilovic led the way with 15 points, knocking down four 3-pointers. Keshon Gilbert had 14 points to go along with a season-high seven assists, knocking down a pair of triples and going 4-4 from the charity stripe. Tamin Lipsey and Curtis Jones rounded out the double-figure scorers, with Lipsey earning his second career double-double as he tallied 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.

The Aggies had just two in double figures, as SEC Preseason Player of the Year Wade Baldwin IV was held in check for the most part by ISU, scoring 14 points on 5-15 shooting from the floor. Baldwin IV was forced into turning the ball over eight times. Solomon Washington led the way for TAMU, scoring 18 on 66.7 percent shooting with six boards.

How It Happened

Iowa State played its best basketball of the tournament in the first half, jumping on the former Big 12 foe early, holding a 12-point lead at the under-eight media timeout. A Momcilovic jumper and 3-pointer would extend the Cyclone lead to 17 with 5:38 remaining.

Back-to-back baskets from Jones pushed the ISU lead to its largest of the game – 21 – at the 2:44 mark as Iowa State held a 35-14 advantage.

The Aggies were able to close the first half strong, going on an 11-0 run, using a pair of threes and jumpers along with some free throws to trim the halftime deficit to 35-25. Gilbert led the Cyclones in scoring at the break with nine, while Washington led TAMU with 10.

Texas A&M started the second half like it ended the first, using another run to cut the ISU lead to just four by the under-16 media timeout. The Aggies would knot the score at 13:09 and take the lead with 12:30 left on an Andersson Garcia second-chance basket. From there, TAMU held the lead the remainder of the way.

The Cyclones were able to cut the lead to one five times in the final 12 minutes but were unable to get over the hump. ISU made things interesting late, as it was within one possession with under ten seconds left, but TAMU held firm to secure the win.

 Top Performer

As previously mentioned, Lipsey recorded his second career double-double, tallying a personal best 14 rebounds. He averaged a team-best 16.7 points per game in the tournament as well as a team-high 8.7 rebounds, setting the tone for the Cyclones in all three games. Lipsey also had 12 assists and nine steals across the last three games.

 Notes

• Tre King is three points short of 200 in his ISU career.
• Jackson Paveletzke played in his 40th career game today.
• Curtis Jones hit his 100th career 3-pointer today, knocking down a pair.
• Jones is three points short of 600 in his career.
• Keshon Gilbert surpassed 1,500 career minutes played today.
• Milan Momcilovic is one point shy of 100 on the season.

 What’s Next

Following the ESPN Events Invitational, Iowa State will hit the road for a Friday night game in Chicago against DePaul on December 1. Friday’s game is part of the BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle and will tip off at 7:30 p.m. and be televised by FS1.