Jefferson scores 21 and Momcilovic breaks ISU record for 3s as No. 4 Cyclones beat Utah 75-59

Utah guard Terrence Brown (2) shoots between Iowa State guard Killyan Toure (27) and Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson (5) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)

MATTHEW COLES | Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Joshua Jefferson scored 21 points, Milan Momcilovic made four 3-pointers to break the Iowa State record for 3s in a season, and the fourth-ranked Cyclones beat Utah 75-59 on Tuesday night.

Momcilovic entered the game with 100 3-pointers and surpassed Dedric Willoughby’s record of 102, set in 1997, when he hit back-to-back 3s in the second half. The 6-foot-8 junior forward has 104 after going 4 of 8 from deep against the Utes; he is shooting better than 50% from long range. He finished with 14 points.

Making its first visit to Salt Lake City, Iowa State (24-4, 11-4 Big 12) held Utah without a field goal — seven straight misses — over a stretch of 9:14 in the second half to turn a five-point lead into a 17-point advantage.

Jefferson recorded his 34th consecutive game in double figures. Jamarion Batemon added 13 points.

Terrence Brown scored 18 points, Don McHenry had 14 and Keanu Dawes added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Utes (10-18, 2-13), who have lost nine of 10.

The Cyclones’ pressure defense sped up the Utes’ ballhandlers, delaying their offensive sets and forcing them into 18 turnovers.

Utah led 12-10 before the Cyclones got three steals to spark a 12-0 run. Iowa State built an 11-point first-half lead as the Cyclones scored 14 points off 11 Utah turnovers.

This was the only game in a stretch of five for Iowa State that wasn’t against a ranked opponent. The Cyclones are 3-1 so far, having beaten Kansas and Houston at home before losing at No. 19 BYU on Saturday.

Key Performer
Joshua Jefferson had complete control of Tuesday’s contest, as whenever he decided he wanted to score, he could. Jefferson finished with just his second 20-plus point performance of conference play, with both coming on the road.

Notes

Iowa State has now won 46 straight games when leading by ten-plus at half
Tamin Lipsey appeared in his 128^th game, tied with assistant coach Diante Garrett for the sixth-most in program history.
Milan Momcilovic broke Dedric Willoughby’s single-season 3-point record, as he now sits at 104 (the record was 102.
Nate Heise canned his 150th career 3-pointer.
Joshua Jefferson eclipsed 900 points as a Cyclone.