West Virginia University
9-5,0-1Big 12
Iowa State
14-0,1-0Big 12
Iowa State’s Accurate 3-Point Shooting Downs West Virginia in Big 12 Opener
January 02, 2026 11:42 PM | Men's Basketball
Milan Momcilovic made 8 of his 10 3-pointers and scored 26 points to lead third-ranked Iowa State to an 80-59 victory over West Virginia Friday night at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
The Mountaineers led 14-10 early before the Cyclones caught fire from 3-point range, specifically Momcilovic and Jamarian Bateman. Bateman's back-to-back 3s gave Iowa State its first lead at 21-19 with 7:49 left in the first half, and the Cyclones closed out the half outscoring West Virginia by 11 to lead the Mountaineers 41-28 at the intermission.
I loved the start, West Virginia coach Ross Hodge said. I thought we came in here in a road environment for the first time against a top 3-team and I thought we were clean and crisp. Then, in these type of environments, little plays cause momentum shifts.
We're up seven minutes into the first half and we have an opportunity to grab a loose ball, and we don't come up with it; Bateman bangs a 3, then he makes a second one in front of your bench and now they have the lead and here comes the crowd, Hodge said. Our first shot defense was really good, but it was our inability to rebound the basketball.
WVU got Iowa State's lead down to nine four minutes into the second half on three free throws by Chance Moore, but Dominykas Peta's breakaway dunk began a 16-4 run that pushed Iowa State's lead out to 21.
The Cyclones' biggest lead was 26 with 2:06 remaining.
In the second half, we just did not execute well enough, Hodge said.
Buchanan contributed 14, Tamin Lipsey scored 12 and Josh Jefferson finished the game with a triple-double – 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Iowa State (14-0 overall and 1-0 in Big 12 play) shot 52.7% from the floor, including 52% (13 of 25) from 3-point range. The Cyclones assisted on 26 of their 29 made baskets tonight.
They did what good teams do, they made you pay, Hodge said.
Chance Moore, getting the starting nod tonight in place of injured Brenen Lorient, led the Mountaineers with 17 points. He made seven of his 13 field goal attempts.
Freshman D.J. Thomas came off the bench to contribute 10 points for WVU.
West Virginia (9-5, 0-1) shot 42.9% overall, but just 29.2% from 3-point range (7 of 24). WVU's leading scorer Honor Huff finished the game making 1 of 8 from behind the arc and finished with 6 points.
West Virginia returns to Morgantown on Tuesday night to face Cincinnati, which plays Houston tomorrow afternoon in Cincinnati, at Hope Coliseum. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
