ST. LOUIS (AP) 鈥� All-America forward Joshua Jefferson is getting a second chance at going out on his own terms at Iowa State.
With their star unable to play because of a sprained left ankle suffered just minutes into their opener, the second-seeded Cyclones in the second half Sunday for an 82-63 win.
The Cyclones (29-7) will face in the Midwest Region semifinals in Chicago on Friday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 huge. Just the last couple days, I鈥檝e just been going through my mind of that might have been my last game,鈥� Jefferson said. 鈥淏ut knowing that I have a chance Friday to try to get back healthy and get back out there is huge for me.鈥�
A 6-foot-9 forward, the NBA prospect is averaging 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists and was envisioning a long tournament run for the sixth-ranked Cyclones before he landed awkwardly and turned his ankle after a layup attempt against Tennessee State.
During the Kentucky game, he was cheering on his teammates from the end of the bench and wheeling his way into timeout huddles on a scooter.
鈥淥bviously, we wanted to win this game to hopefully get him back for next weekend. You know, we wouldn鈥檛 want his career to end like this, where he couldn鈥檛 do anything about it,鈥� forward Blake Buchanan said. 鈥淪o hopefully we can get him healthy.鈥�
Coach T.J. Otzelberger said Jefferson would have an MRI on Monday morning to reassess the injury. Jefferson was planning to participate in water therapy exercises as soon as the Cyclones returned to campus on Sunday night, and he expects to have multiple rehab sessions per day leading up to the next game.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to do everything my power to get healthy and see what we can do for the next couple days,鈥� Jefferson said. 鈥淭hese next couple days will be big for me.鈥�
There were some nervous moments for Iowa State with Jefferson sidelined. Kentucky raced out to a 20-9 lead, and the Cyclones made just seven of their first 29 shots (24.1%). In a dramatic turnaround, they made 21 of their final 31 (67.7%).
鈥淚鈥檓 just very proud. It鈥檚 so fun to see everybody playing well and playing off of each other,鈥� Jefferson said. 鈥淚 think the first five minutes of the game was just an adjustment period. But then after they got out of that, there was smooth sailing after that.鈥�
Tamin Lipsey led the way with 26 points and 10 assists, and Milan Momcilovic scored 20. With usual sixth man Nate Heise in the starting lineup, the Cyclones got just five points from reserves.
鈥淲e have a great chemistry,鈥� said guard Killyan Toure, who contributed 10 points and three steals. 鈥淓verybody has the back of anybody on our team, so that鈥檚 great, We just did our job today, and we鈥檒l do the same thing on the next game.鈥�
Jefferson, whose father is former NFL offensive lineman Ben Jefferson, had scored in double figures in 40 straight games before he was injured. He also had three games this season with at least 10 assists and no turnovers.
鈥淲hen you go out there and you don鈥檛 have J-Jeff, the guy is an elite competitor, a winner, been such a great leader for us, so we miss him in so many aspects,鈥� coach T.J. Otzelberger said. 鈥淏ut our guys know that if we count on each other, we trust each other and we believe in one another, that we can accomplish anything. The best way we can honor him at this point is to continue to play our best.鈥�
Jefferson is playing in his third NCAA Tournament, but each of the previous runs 鈥� in 2023 with Saint Mary’s and last year with Iowa State 鈥� ended in the second round.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be my first time being a part of the second weekend on a team,鈥� Jefferson said. 鈥淪o that鈥檚 huge, and it鈥檚 just gonna make me even want to get out there even more.鈥�
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