MILWAUKEE − What began as a promising season for Iowa State, with a program-record No. 2 ranking in both the AP and coaches’ polls, ended in NCAA Tournament second-round disappointment for the Cyclones.
The sixth-seeded Ole Miss Rebels denied 3-seed Iowa State a return trip to the Sweet 16.
The Rebels pushed the Cyclones around on both ends of the floor and won 91-78 in Sunday’s NCAA Tournament round-of-32 contest at the Fiserv Forum.
It is Ole Miss’ second time reaching the Sweet 16 in school history. The Rebels previously reached the second weekend back in 2001.
Iowa State didn’t go away quietly and went on a late 23-7 run to cut the deficit to 10 after a Curtis Jones 3-pointer made it 85-75 with 1:20 remaining, but that would be the closest the Cyclones would get to catching the Rebels. Ole Miss never allowed the margin to sink into single digits.
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The Rebels were unrelenting on both ends of the court and made life difficult for Iowa State in nearly every facet of the game.
Even after building a 40-29 halftime lead, the Rebels shot a blistering 67.9% in the second half. They finished the game shooting a season-high 58.2% and an efficient 11-for-19 (57.9%) clip from beyond the arc.
Defensively, they gave Iowa State a hard time at seemingly every turn.
Ole Miss went on a 19-5 run in the second half. Jaylen Murray capped the run with a pair of free throws to give the Rebels a 61-40 lead with 12:59 remaining.
However, the Rebels led by 26 after a Malik Dia basket gave them a 78-52 lead with 5:40 left. The Cyclones’ late push made it a more respectable margin.
Jones led Iowa State with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Joshua Jefferson had 16 points, eight rebounds, two steals and four turnovers. Nate Heise added 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting. Dishon Jackson chipped in nine points and five rebounds.
Iowa State asserted itself in the opening minutes of the game, playing strong on the glass and forcing a couple of early turnovers. Heise drilled a 3-pointer to give the Cyclones a 13-5 lead with 15:18 remaining in the first half.
Ole Miss settled down on the defensive end, making Iowa State work for nearly everything, from getting space to operate, off-ball movement, or taking shots. Ole Miss was quick to collapse inside or close out at the perimeter.
The Cyclones at one point shot 1-for-12, while Ole Miss rattled off a 20-2 run to take the lead. Sean Pedulla sparked the scoring surge with a 3-pointer, and Matthew Murrell capped the seven-minute stretch with an and-1 to give the Rebels a 28-17 lead with 7:22 left in the first half.
They hardly looked back from there.
Pedulla finished with 20 points, eight assists and four steals. Jaemyn Brakefield added 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting off the bench. Dia had 18 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Murrell added 15 points and two steals. Murray had 11 points to round out the balanced effort.
Iowa State finished the 2024-25 season with a 25-10 record. The Cyclones are set to graduate Jones, Conrad Hawley, Brandton Chatfield and Keshon Gilbert.
Jackson and Heise are seniors but have a year of eligibility remaining.
This year marked Iowa State’s fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, which is only the second time the Cyclones had achieved that feat in program history.
Iowa State reached the Sweet 16 in 2022 and 2024. In 2023, it was upset in the opening round as a 6-seed.
