Heading into this Big 12 battle the Oklahoma Sooners and Iowa State Cyclones shared the same regular season record of 20-8; however, the Sooners had a one-game lead in the standings over the Cyclones. Oklahoma got the better of Iowa State 94-83 in their February 9th matchup in Norman.

How the first half unfolded it looked as if the Sooners of Oklahoma were going to run Iowa State out of their own gym. Oklahoma dominated Iowa State outscoring the Cyclones 37-18. The Sooners didn’t shoot the ball as they went 13-of-34 from the field (38.2 percent) but they were aggressive attacking the basket hitting all seven of their free throws, while knocking down four three-pointers. Iowa State also couldn’t find the range as they went 8-of-24 from the field (33 percent) including 1-of-8 from behind the arc. The biggest problem for the Cyclones was keeping possession of the ball; they turned the ball over 10 times.

Iowa State was down 19 points at halftime. The largest deficit they faced was by 21 points with 19:01 left in the second half. The tide turned for the Cyclones with 14:55 left in regulation when they were down 48-28. Iowa State’s leading scorer Georges Niang led the charge as the Cyclones went on a 22-0 run in just over five minutes; they led 50-48 with 9:36 left in the game.

Niang led Iowa State in scoring with 23 points, 20 of which came in the second half. He also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists. Monte Morris added 19 points, five assists, and hit all three of his three-pointers. Jameel McKay had a double-double off the bench, 14 points and 12 rebounds. Senior forward Dustin Hogue grabbed 10 rebounds while scoring seven points, including the three-pointer that capped off the 22-0 run.

Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield led the Sooners with 26 points on 7-of-18 shooting, 4-of-9 from three-point line. Isaiah Cousins added 12 points, while Jordan Woodard scored 10 points. Oklahoma struggled to shoot the ball in the second half as they shot only 32 percent from the field. They went a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line in the first half, and followed it up by going 13-of-22 (59 percent). Not only did they struggle from the field but they couldn’t knock down free points from the charity stripe.

Iowa State outscored Oklahoma 59-33 in the second half. The headlining reason was their hot shooting from outside and their ability to limit their turnovers. The Cyclones found the range as they went 6-of-10 from behind the arc, and as they turned the ball over 10 times in the first half they only did so six times. The Hilton Coliseum was rocking on senior as the Cyclones made their miraculous run to defeat the Sooners 77-70.

Both teams still have a punchers chance at winning the Big 12, but they still need some help from Kansas, who holds a game and a half lead. The Jayhawks will have to lose their remaining two games against West Virginia and these Oklahoma Sooners. Obviously, Iowa State and Oklahoma would need to win out for them to remain in the Big 12 title hunt. The Cyclones will face TCU Saturday on the road, while the Sooners will face the Kansas Jayhawks at home Saturday.

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About the author
Parker White
Sports journalist from Midlothian, Virginia. Co-editor and writer for the NBA and MLB sections at VAVEL USA. Follow me on Twitter @spudwhite1022