WVU's Small, Iowa State's Jones trade baskets in entertaining duel between Big 12's top scorers

Published Jan. 19, 2025 5:45 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s Javon Small stopped his dribble nearly at the 3-point line, closely guarded by Iowa State’s Curtis Jones. With the shot clock winding down early in the second half, Small moved in a circle on his pivot foot looking to pass to a teammate, then took a step toward the basket and threw up a shot that banked in.

The sellout crowd erupted, fully engulfed in an entertaining duel between the Big 12’s top two scorers.

Jones, the league’s hottest scorer of late, had a big first half and appeared headed for temporary bragging rights.

Then Small caught fire, scoring 18 points over the final 8:38 Saturday night to carry the Mountaineers to a 64-57 victory over the second-ranked Cyclones.

“He’s definitely their engine,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We knew that coming in. He’s playing at a level that’s as high as anybody in the league, truthfully.”

Small, the league's top scorer, finished with 27 points. Jones, who is two points behind with a 17.8-point average, scored 18, with just seven coming in the second half.

Small said he paid no attention to how he'd fare in a one-on-one matchup with Jones.

“I don’t ever go into a game thinking about” that, Small said. “The only thing I’m thinking about is just winning.”

Things weren't looking good for Small and the Mountaineers. Iowa State led by four with under nine minutes remaining and both teams were struggling to find consistent offense.

All Small needed was a tiny crack in the defense.

Jones and Tamin Lipsey had blocked Small’s path to the basket at the top of the key. Small then dribbled and spun in a full circle between the defenders and hit a floater as the shot clock expired. That was part of his game-ending burst that also included a 3-pointer, a dunk, two layups and seven free throws.

Now Small, who leads the Big 12 in minutes played, has joined Jones in the conversation as candidates for the league's player of the year.

West Virginia coach Darian DeVries is partial to Small, a transfer from Oklahoma State who has helped the Mountaineers overcome several injuries.

“I wouldn’t trade him for anybody,” DeVries said. “I think he’s an elite-level competitor, an elite-level leader.”

Jones had come off the bench in 14 of Iowa State’s previous 16 games but was forced into a starting role in both contests this past week when forward Milan Momcilovic went out indefinitely with a left hand injury. Jones had averaged nearly 25 points over his three previous games, including an overtime win at Texas Tech and a victory over No. 9 Kansas at home.

After Saturday's game, Jones looked at the stat sheet and grimaced, noticing that the Cyclones had just four assists and shot 1 of 17 from 3-point range.

“That’s ain’t really a recipe for success,” said Jones, who went 1 of 6 from long range. “They did a good job of defending.”

Despite making 44% of their field goals, the Cyclones were held 28 points under their scoring average. DeVries said his players did not allow Jones to get a lot of open 3-point looks.

“We put a lot of focus on him not getting a lot of space,” DeVries said. “He still got 18. That’s how good he is.”

Jones shot 5 of 8 from the floor in the first half but couldn't maintain that pace. Gone was Iowa State's national-best 12-game winning streak, and the Cyclones likely will tumble in the AP Top 25 poll.

“He carried us through some of those difficult moments” on Saturday, Otzelberger said. “We’re going to continue to count on him moving forward and I know he’ll continue to step up for us.”

It was the only regular-season meeting between the schools, although Small and Jones could meet again in the league tournament in March.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

share

in this topic

West Virginia Mountaineers

Iowa State Cyclones