CHICAGO — Nate Ament scored 18 points and Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 16 as sixth-seeded Tennessee defeated second-seeded Iowa State 76-62 on Friday in an NCAA Tournament Midwest Region semifinal.
Tennessee (25-11) will meet top-seeded Michigan in an Elite Eight game on Sunday. The Wolverines defeated fourth-seeded Alabama 90-77 in the first regional semifinal on Friday.
Nate Heise and Tamin Lipsey paced the short-handed Cyclones (29-8) with 18 points apiece.
Iowa State second-team All-America forward Joshua Jefferson missed the game with a sprained left ankle he sustained early in the Cyclones’ tournament-opening romp against Tennessee State.
Jefferson sat out Iowa State’s second-round game vs. Kentucky. Listed as a game-time decision on Friday, he was ruled out before tipoff.
Iowa State shot 38.9% compared to 50.8% for Tennessee. The Cyclones slumped to a 5-for-23 effort (21.7%) from beyond the arc.
Iowa State aimed to channel its physicality without Jefferson, the team’s top rebounder and second-leading scorer. While the game hinged on defense and rebounding the way many expected, the Cyclones were outmuscled. The Volunteers finished plus-21 on the glass to overcome 17 turnovers and power their way to the program’s third consecutive regional final.
Volunteers big men Felix Okpara (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Jaylen Carey (11 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles.
A stretch of more efficient ball movement helped Tennessee create breathing room early in the second half. The Volunteers scored 20 of the first 28 points coming out of the break to take a 54-41 lead with 12:57 left.
Tennessee assisted on five of its first six made field goals of the second half. Gillespie contributed seven points to the surge on 3-of-4 shooting.
Meanwhile, Lipsey, the Cyclones’ point guard, ran into foul trouble. Gillespie drained a 3-pointer moments after Lipsey went to the bench with his third foul, extending the advantage to double digits.
Milan Momcilovic hit a 3-pointer to pull Iowa State within eight with 4:01 left, but the Volunteers answered with J.P. Estrella’s second-chance dunk on the ensuing possession.
Killyan Toure scored nine points for Iowa State. Heisey and Lipsey both had five boards while Lipsey dished five assists.
Tennessee led 34-33 at halftime behind 10 points and eight rebounds from Okpara. He hit a pair of free throws in the closing seconds of the half to provide the Volunteers with the advantage.
Lipsey was unable to connect on a driving finger roll on the final possession before the break.
–Kevin Druley, Field Level Media
