In the Maui Invitational, Iowa State men's basketball faced a crucial moment when Keshon Gilbert had a costly turnover on the Cyclones' final possession, leading to Auburn's game-winning last-second tip-in on Monday. However, it was just the only blemish in an otherwise outstanding performance by Gilbert.

Iowa State's Gilbert Shines in Consolation Round

Turnover and Redemption

When Iowa State took the floor in Tuesday's consolation round against Dayton, Gilbert once again shined and got late-game redemption. He posted his second-straight 20-point game and had a clutch series of plays over the final minute. With the game tied at 81, Gilbert hustled to collect a loose ball off a Joshua Jefferson miss for an offensive rebound. He attempted a layup in the hectic scramble and took a hard foul with 44.9 seconds remaining from Dayton forward Zed Key. The foul was later upgraded to a Flagrant 1 after review. Gilbert then sank both free throws. On the ensuing possession, he received the ball again and made a contested driving layup in traffic to give Iowa State an 85-81 lead with 26 seconds left. This four-point series by Gilbert gave the Cyclones just enough breathing room as they made the necessary free throws to clinch the victory.

Game Statistics and Coach's Praise

Gilbert finished with a game-high 24 points on 6-of-8 shooting, with three rebounds, three assists and three steals. He shot 12-of-14 from the free-throw line. Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger praised Gilbert, saying, "He's an absolute warrior. He's the ultimate competitor. Tremendous worker, character guy. Really proud of him, he puts the work in and it showed here today." Curtis Jones added 19 points off the bench. Dishon Jackson had 12 points and six boards. Milan Momcilovic chipped in 10 points, which all came in the first half.

First Half Struggles and Second Half Comeback

Iowa State trailed for the majority of the first half but started to settle down in the second half and take the lead with a 20-8 run. Gilbert sparked the run with a pair of free throws, followed by a Curtis Jones 3-pointer. Nojus Indrusaitis topped off the scoring surge with a layup to give the Cyclones a 63-54 lead with 11:20 remaining. That was Iowa State's largest lead of the game, but Dayton responded with a run to close the deficit and even temporarily go in front again after an Enoch Cheeks 3-pointer made it 74-72 with 5:12 left. It was a one-possession game the remainder of the way until Gilbert's decisive four-point swing in the final minute.

Defense and Offense in the Game

Iowa State weathered a Dayton shooting barrage where the Flyers shot 63.6% in the first half. The Flyers led by as much as nine points until the Cyclones worked to trim the deficit to a 41-37 Dayton halftime lead. The Cyclones shot 30-of-58 (51.7%) overall but were held to shooting just 4-of-17 (23.5%) from long range. Malachi Smith led the Flyers with 22 points and nine assists. Cheeks had 16 points and six rebounds. Key had 15 points, while Nate Santos finished with 12 points. The Flyers shot 29-of-50 (58.0%) and 7-of-18 (38.9%) from beyond the arc.

Upcoming Game

The Cyclones will play Colorado in Wednesday's fifth-place game. The Buffaloes upset second-ranked UConn on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT and the game will be available on ESPN2.