Isiaih Mosley stole Iowa State’s first possession, which was an indicator of what was to come Saturday at Mizzou Arena.
Missouri led the country with 11.4 steals per game heading into its matchup against No. 12 Iowa State, while the Cyclones’ 9.7 takeaways per game ranked eighth.
In front of their home fans, the Tigers’ stellar defensive presence prevailed. MU forced 19 Iowa State turnovers to seal a 78-61 win.
Despite hitting a cold patch that included a near-three-minute stretch without a field goal in the second half, Missouri was able to balloon its lead in the final period by making Iowa State uncomfortable and getting consistent defensive production across the board. Kobe Brown gave the Tigers their largest lead of the game when he stole the ball from Gabe Kalscheur and raced down the court for a layup to put MU up 69-50.
Four of MU’s starters finished with at least one steal. Nick Honor bounced back after combining for just six points in the Tigers’ past two games. Honor finished with 12 points and one steal.
When Missouri wasn’t literally taking the ball away from the Cyclones, it was forcing giveaways with smart defense. With under 14 minutes left, Kalscheur tossed the ball out of bounds for his fifth turnover as the Cyclones failed to make skip passes over the Tigers’ defense. MU ran a press the entire game, refusing to allow Iowa State to get comfortable in its slower half-court offense.
“What their press does, and, again, what their depth does, is it wears you down,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “It disrupts your offense. It doesn’t allow you to play with your normal rhythm and flow. It’s tougher to run set plays, it’s harder to get the ball to guys in certain spots, and they did a great job keeping us on our heels and not letting us develop any rhythm offensively.”
With both teams capable of creating turnovers, taking care of the ball on offense was key for the Tigers. The Cyclones stayed in the game early by forcing Missouri to cough up the ball on its offensive end. Iowa State forced six turnovers in each period, but the Tigers overcame giveaways with a willingness to slow down their pace to create better looks.
The Cyclones managed to break Missouri’s press and score on three straight possessions in the closing stages of the first half, but the Tigers refused to relent. DeAndre Gholston nearly forced a 12th first-half turnover in the final seconds of the opening period but was called for a foul after diving for the ball. The Tigers’ nine points off 11 first-half turnovers helped them to a 42-32 halftime lead.
Missouri’s defensive execution continued to spread throughout the team Saturday. When Brown went to the bench after landing awkwardly on his ankle in the first half, MU’s defense immediately forced Iowa State center Osun Osunniyi to make a risky crosscourt pass, which sailed out of bounds. Noah Carter recorded a block on the Cyclones’ next possession.
Brown quickly returned and was commanding on defense with three steals, while D’Moi Hodge continued to be a pest in passing lanes.
“Our guys forced a great team (into) 19 turnovers,” Gates said. “And (Brown and Hodge) did (a) remarkable job, not just on the offensive end, but on the defensive end. Kobe Brown was unbelievable as it relates to rebounding. D’Moi Hodge was elite at deflections and steals and different things like that.”
Making just his second start, Mosley snuck into the paint to intercept a pass, leading to a Carter layup early in the first half. Mosley finished with three steals to go with eight points. Missouri converted Iowa State’s turnovers into 20 points and trailed for just 44 seconds.
Despite a résumé-boosting win for MU, Gates still isn’t satisfied.
“I’m happy that we played a helluva defensive outing without fouling as much,” Gates said. “But collectively, when you look at the game, I’m not result-driven. I want quality, and the quality wasn’t where I wanted it to be.”
As Gates keeps his expectations high, his team continues to hit new standards. The Tigers notched their fourth win over a ranked team this season and will next look for a strong finish in Southeastern Conference play, which resumes Wednesday night at home against LSU.