It was fitting that a game in which Iowa State committed silly turnovers, that the game would come down to Iowa State turning the ball over for a loss. Iowa State had the ball with 6 seconds left in a tie ball-game, with the chance to take the last shot in the game. Instead, Diante Garrett turned it over off the dribble and Lance Jeter took it coast to coast, getting fouled by Melvin Ejim with 0.4 seconds left in the game. Jeter made it interesting by missing his first free throw, but he made the second, securing victory for the Cornhuskers.
As an Iowa State fan, it is pretty frustrating to see the team lose by just 1 in a game in which they had an injured Christopherson playing, Vanderbeken fouling out, Diante Garrett in foul trouble in the first half, and faced a 12 point deficit in at one point in the second half. Iowa State outplayed Nebraska from about the 17 minute mark to the 2 minute mark, but could not finish the deal. Another key in this one, was Nebraska's 6 blocked shots. They did a good job defending the paint for the most part and took away some opportunities to score around the rim. When the game is as close as this one was, every little thing mattered. The ending was one of the worst ways you could lose a game.
On the bright side, all is not lost on the Cyclones. Nebraska was favored by 5, and going by Ken Pomeroy's ratings, this was the best team Iowa State has played thus far. The fact this team battled back and put themselves in a position to win ought to help build some more confidence, as Iowa State continues along in the Big 12. The players know they did not play particularly well that game, and they let one slip.
As far as individuals go, DG shot 8 of 16 from the floor, scoring 18 points. Ejim put up 12 points and 7 rebounds, and other than the foul at the end of the game, I thought he played his typical game. Godfrey continues to impress me, doing a nice job defensivley, and getting 6 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in 20 minutes of play.
Iowa State now faces the best team in the Big 12, Kansas, at home on Wednesday night. Game tips off at 8pm, and Iowa State is honoring Johnny Orr prior to tip off. The Kansas game is always fun to go to, no matter who is favored.