MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milan Momcilovic scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half, and third-seeded Iowa State routed Lipscomb 82-55 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

Curtis Jones had 17 points as Iowa State bounced back nicely after dropping four of seven going into the tourney. Joshua Jefferson finished with 10 points and eight assists.

Next up for the Cyclones (25-9) in the South Region is the winner of Mississippi versus North Carolina.

Momcilovic, a 6-foot-8 sophomore from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, made four 3-pointers and grabbed five rebounds.

Jacob Ognacevic, the player of the year in the Atlantic Sun, led Lipscomb with 18 points. Gyasi Powell added 11.

Momcilovic stars as Iowa State knocks off Lipscomb 82-55 in NCAA Tournament | iNFOnews.ca — Iowa State’s Cade Kelderman drives against Lipscomb’s Charlie Williams (6) in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Friday, March 21, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Healthy again after being sidelined with a hand injury earlier in the season, Momcilovic took over in the first half. He scored 12 points in a 14-0 run that helped the Cyclones race to a 40-24 halftime lead.

Iowa State’s size advantage bothered Lipscomb for much of the afternoon. It was the lowest scoring game of the season for the 14th-seeded Bisons (25-10).

Takeaways

Lipscomb: The Bisons made just their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Their only other trip, as a 15-seed in 2018, resulted in an 84-66 loss to North Carolina.

Iowa State: Tamin Lipsey, who has been dealing with a groin injury that kept him out of Iowa State’s Big 12 Tournament loss to BYU, had 10 points in his return to the lineup. He provided a boost for a Cyclones team playing without second-leading scorer Keshon Gilbert because of a groin injury.