KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Keshon Gilbert wrapped up a spectacular Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship for Iowa State with 16 points, and the seventh-ranked Cyclones defeated No. 1 Houston 69-41 to win their sixth Championship in six appearances in the title game.

Milan Momcilovic had 18 points and Hason Ward scored 13 for the Cyclones (27-7), who have beaten five different programs to raise the trophy, including Oklahoma, which at the time was led by current Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson.

Iowa State turned a 30-23 lead at halftime into the kind of blowout Sampson has rarely experienced with an 18-3 run to start the second half. That gave the thousands of Cyclones fans that paint Kansas City red and yellow every March plenty of reasons to stand on their feet and roar their approval.

Doesn’t seem to matter who is coaching them, either. T.J. Otzelberger is the fourth to win the Championship for Iowa State.

Jamal Shead had 10 points on 3-for-17 shooting for Houston (30-4), which was outscored 39-18 in the second half. L.J. Cryer was held to seven points and Emanuel Sharp to five as the Cougars shot 4 of 22 from the 3-point arc and 15 of 56 from the field.

The preternaturally poised Cyclones never wavered when they fell into an early hole. They exhibited some exquisite interior ball movement for easy layups when the Cougars’ guards tried to lock down the perimeter. And when they got those buckets to go, it freed up Momcilovic and the rest of the Iowa State sharpshooters to begin draining 3-pointers.

On the other end, the Cyclones forced Shead into off-balance runners and long 3s at the end of the shot clock; the Big 12 Player of the Year — and Defensive Player of the Year — was 2 for 11 in the first half.

The Cyclones scored the first 10 points as part of their run to start the second half, and Momcilovic’s 3 from in front of his bench pushed their lead to 48-23 with 12:40 to go.

ISU's margin of victory (28) is the largest in the history of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship Final. 

2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team
Keshon Gilbert, Iowa State - Most Outstanding Player
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State
Jamal Shead, Houston
L.J. Cryer, Houston