Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson, right, passed around Texas Tech’s Tyeree Bryan during the first half during the first half during the first half during the NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 Conference Tournament Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Reidel)

DAVE SKRETTA | Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Joshua Jefferson had 18 points and 13 rebounds, longtime running mate Tamin Lipsey scored 20 and seventh-ranked Iowa State used a big second-half run to bury No. 16 Texas Tech 75-53 on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

The fifth-seeded Cyclones (27-6) fell behind by 12 early in the game, pulled ahead by halftime, then used a 19-3 run shortly out of the break to earn a Friday night date with second-ranked and No. 1 seed Arizona for a spot in the title game.

LeJuan Watts had led the Red Raiders (22-10) with 12 points. Christian Anderson had 10 before he appeared to strain a muscle while slipping on the glass court being used by the Big 12 for its postseason tournament with about 8 1/2 minutes left in the game.

Several players in both the women’s and men’s tourneys have complained of its slick nature.

The teams traded haymakers to start the game — No. 4 seed Texas Tech opened on a 17-5 run and Iowa State countered a few minutes later with a 15-2 charge of its own — before the game settled into a back-and-forth battle between top 20 teams.

There were nine lead changes in the first half, and Jamarion Batemon’s buzzer-beating 3 gave the Cyclones a 36-33 halftime lead.

Iowa State turned up the pressure another level in the second half, holding the Red Raiders to just two field goals over the first 9 1/2 minutes. And on the other end of the floor, Texas Tech had no answer for Jefferson, the 6-foot-9, 240-pound All-Big 12 forward, whose ability to split defenders and power his way to the basket had Grant McCasland’s team thoroughly frustrated.

That’s when Iowa State, which set a Big 12 Tournament record by beating Arizona State by 49 in the second round, put together its long run against the Red Raiders and assumed control of the game.

Key Performer
Joshua Jefferson became just the sixth Cyclone in program history to post at least two double-doubles in the Big 12 Tournament. He joined Jared Homan, Jackson Vroman and Stevie Johnson as the only players to do so in the same tournament. No Cyclone has had three or more double-doubles in a single tournament.

Notes

• T.J. Otzelberger tied Steve Prohm for career wins on a neutral court, picking up number 23 – the second-most in program history.
  • Otz also earned his 30^th win against a ranked team. He is the only coach in program history to earn 30 ranked wins.
  • Otzelberger tied Fred Hoiberg and Johnny Orr for most conference tournament wins (7).
• Iowa State has won 100 games over the last four seasons, tying the most wins over a four-year stretch in program history.
• ISU earned its 70^th ranked-win since 2011-12 and 30^th of the Otzelberger Era.
• Tamin Lipsey now has the fifth-most points in the Big 12 Tournament by a Cyclone with 93.
  • Lipsey has 14 triples in the tournament, the fourth-most by a Cyclone.
  • Lipsey moved up to 18^th on the ISU all-time scoring list and now sits at 1,452.
• Milan Momcilovic now has the most 3-pointers in the Big 12 Tournament by an Iowa State player ever, with 17.
  • He has now made a three in 18 consecutive games – tied for the tenth-longest streak by a Cyclone.
• Joshua Jefferson scored 10-plus points for the 33^rd time this season and 39^th consecutive game (the third-longest streak in the country).
  • Jefferson also eclipsed 1,00 career points as a Cyclone in the win.
• Iowa State now has 197 steals this season, the sixth-most in a single season in program history.
• The Cyclones are also up to 293 triples this year, tied for the fifth-most in a season in program history.

Up Next

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Texas Tech hopes to stay on the 4-seed line for the NCAA tourney on Selection Sunday.