Iowa St. moves to 15-0 as Tamin Lipsey stars in second half - ESPN

WACO, Texas — Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger declared point guard Tamin Lipsey second to none after he helped the Cyclones cap the best start in school history Wednesday night.

«Obviously, you're talking about the guy who I'm taking over any point guard in America,» Otzelberger said after No. 3 Iowa State beat Baylor 70-60. «We've got the best point guard in the country.»

That's a strong statement considering a national pool packed with elite point guards, including Purdue's Braden Smith, Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. and Alabama's Labaron Philon. But Lipsey's heroics this season have been the catalyst to Iowa State's historic 15-0 start, which is also the program's longest winning streak, according to ESPN Research.

After picking up two early fouls against the Bears, Lipsey finished with just four points in a first half that saw Iowa State trail by as many as eight. But Lipsey scored 20 points after halftime as the Cyclones pulled away.

«Obviously, not having him out there quite as much in the first half impacted where the game was at,» Otzelberger said. «But man, in that second half, the plays he made, the shots he made, it was amazing, especially when you have to bounce back when your normal routine and rhythm of the game is disrupted because of the fouls. So I trust him.»

Lipsey, who was born and raised in Ames, Iowa, said it's a dream to help the program reach this mark.

«I've been a Cyclone all my life,» he said. «I just got on the court four years ago, though. Watching all those [Iowa State] teams growing up and just realizing now I have a chance right now to make a footprint for Iowa State and just the community of Ames and all of that? I never take that for granted.»

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