I'm finally feeling better, and I figured a recap of last night's game would be better now rather than never. I came in to the game thinking we had a chance to win if we shot well. Missouri actually outshot us by 4%, but ISU was able to effectively slow the pace enough to escape with the win.
Truth be told, the game seemed like it should have been a 10 point Iowa State win, which is a curious thing to say when they were not only outshot, but were also outrebounded and went 1-16 from behind the arc. It really did seem like ISU deserved to win based on timely rebounds, not to mention a rather charitable edge at the charity stripe. The Cyclones tended to get what could be termed as clutch rebounds, while also generally staying away from any major Mizzou runs until the very end of the game.
ISU generally handled the Missouri pressure well, although I'm still quite shaky with Bryan Petersen bringing the ball up against pressure. He still struggled with picking up the ball a ways away from the bucket, but Diante was playing like a freshman last night, so Petersen seemed like the better option. Wes had his first double-double it what seemed like ages with 20 and 11, and it seems like McDermott was more than willing to let him go down low more than before. He's also as healthy as he's been in a long time. Rahshon also had one of his best games in a while, finishing with 16 and 8, as well as 3 stuffs.
Craig Brackins wasn't able to repeat his Baylor performance, but he still did well with 14 and 6. His inside game still has a ways to go, but when he can give us a performance like that, he makes it a lot easier on the rest of the team. Jiri also played solidly, much like we seem to be able to expect from him all of a sudden.
The bench didn't play much of a role in the game, save a few instances, as they contributed for zero points. Diante and Alex came in, however, and didn't do a whole lot of bad stuff. Cam Lee also played two minutes, forcing a big turnover with Iowa State up by just three. I've been questioning his merits as a defensive stopper, but he's shut me up for now.
The style that Iowa State played last night could leave the team in position for the postseason. I thought the shot selection from inside the arc was generally good (I typically think that we jack up too many threes as it is), and our rebounding seemed to do well. The biggest thing, however, was the 10 to 17 turnover advantage that ISU held. Do that, especially against a team like Missouri, and games can be won.
The Iowa State Daily was nice enough to have a highlight clip up from the game, so enjoy.