Iowa State’s season opener turned into a tight, frustrating night in a 80-76 loss to Memphis on Monday, and the Tigers made sure the Cyclones had to fight for every inch.
Memphis looked ready for the challenge from the opening tip. Iowa State, working with a roster full of new faces after losing a ton of talent from its Sweet 16 team, never really found a comfortable rhythm. The return of Tamin Lipsey mattered, but he also arrived with limited time to get fully settled in with the group before the season started.
Even with the Cyclones hanging around, Memphis controlled enough of the first half to take a 40-39 lead into the break. The biggest separator was the glass. The Tigers piled up 10 offensive rebounds and used that extra work to create the edge they needed, even though their shooting wasn’t especially sharp in the first 20 minutes.
Luke Almodovar gave Memphis a strong lift early, scoring 12 points and grabbing eight rebounds to help set the tone. Iowa State got its best first-half scoring from the bench, where Ryan Prather Jr. led the way with 10 points. Lipsey added nine, and Prather’s production was a welcome sign for the Cyclones.
Still, Iowa State’s first half was rough, particularly on defense, and those issues didn’t disappear after halftime. Memphis came out and shot the ball well enough to keep the Cyclones chasing, and Iowa State simply didn’t look like a team with a lot of firepower in this one.
The starting lineup struggled to generate much offense, which made the contributions from Prather and Dominykas Pleta even more important. Pleta didn’t log a ton of minutes, but he was effective when he was on the floor.
The game stayed tight all the way down the stretch, but Memphis made the key plays when it mattered most. Jayden Reid took over late for the Tigers and helped close out the win, while Iowa State is left sorting through what needs to improve in late-game situations. Lipsey, too, will need to be more aggressive as a scorer this season.
The Cyclones will try to bounce back Friday night against Southern Miss.
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