ST. LOUIS (AP) — Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson left in the first half of the second-seeded Cyclones’ 108-74 romp past No. 15 seed Tennessee State with a left ankle injury Friday, leaving the All-American’s status for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament in doubt.
Jefferson landed awkwardly after a layup just 2 1/2 minutes into the first-round matchup in the Midwest Region. The 6-foot-9 senior had to be helped by trainers to the X-ray room, emerged about 10 minutes later using crutches, and watched the second half from the end of the Iowa State bench with his ankle in a bulky gray boot.
Nate Heise had eight of his season-high 23 points during a 23-0 run for the Cyclones (28-7), which began shortly after Jefferson was hurt and sent them breezing past the Tigers (23-10) and into a second-round matchup with seventh-seeded Kentucky on Sunday.
The Wildcats beat No. 10 seed Santa Clara 89-84 in an overtime thriller to begin the session at the Enterprise Center.
The Cyclones already were dealing with a groin injury that limited point guard Tamin Lipsey in the Big 12 Tournament. Now, their depth will be tested even more without Jefferson, who was second on the team in scoring and their leading rebounder.
Freshman Killyan Toure had career-highs of 25 points and 11 rebounds against the Tigers. Milan Momcilovic had 17 points and 6-foot-10 forward Blake Buchanan, who becomes crucial should Jefferson be unavailable, had 11 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
The Cyclones’ big first-half run turned a 9-7 lead into a 32-7 blowout in a span of about five minutes. They pushed the advantage to 55-29 by halftime, and the biggest cheer the rest of the way came when Jefferson joined his team on the bench after the break.
Aaron Nkrumah had 21 points to lead Tennessee State, which former Duke star Nolan Smith led to the Ohio Valley regular-season and tourney titles in his first season as their head coach. Antoine Lorick III added 20 points and Travis Harper II had 13.
Flagrant foul
After watching Jefferson get hurt, Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger was predictably incensed when Tennessee State forward Kavien Jones grabbed Dominykas Pleta around the neck and dragged the Cyclones’ forward to the ground. The Tigers’ freshman received a Flagrant 2 foul, resulting in an immediate ejection, but apologized to Pleta on the way to the locker room.
Up next
Iowa State has lost all three of its games against Kentucky, the last two in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The first of those was a 106-98 loss in 1992 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and the most recent an 87-71 loss in 2012 in Louisville, Kentucky; the Wildcats went on to beat Kansas for the national championship that season.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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