AMES – Oklahoma State (16-9, 7-5 Big 12) dealt No. 11 Iowa State (16-8, 7-5 Big 12) its first home loss of the season in a 64-56 victory Saturday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum.
The Cowboys overcame a six-point halftime deficit by making 57.1 percent of their second-half shots while holding ISU to just 24 points on 8-of-23 shooting.
John-Michael Wright led all players with 19 points. Aljaž Kunc led the Cyclones with 13 points and Tamin Lipsey chipped in with 12 points, including eight in the second half. Osun Osunniyi had a team-high eight boards and nine points.
How It Happened
Both teams shot below 40 percent in a first half that featured four ties and four lead changes. The Cowboys held a 17-14 lead at the midway point until five-straight points by the Cyclones, which included a 3-point play from Osun Osunniyi.
OSU’s Chris Harris buried a trey to trim the Cyclone lead to 25-24. A five-point play by the Cyclones helped spark the crowd. Kunc was fouled by Woody Newton while going up for an offensive rebound. It was deemed a flagrant foul, as Kunc hit both free-throws followed by a Jaren Holmes corner 3-pointer to put ISU up 30-24.
ISU led at the break, 32-26.
The Cowboys made 6-of-7 shots to begin the second half, knotting the score at 40-40 at the 15-minute mark. Kunc made a couple of 3-point plays to help the Cyclones regain the lead, but OSU took its first lead (50-48) since middle of the first half when Wright hit a pair of free-throws with 6:10 remaining.
Wright hit a big 3-pointer moments later to give the Cowboys a 55-50 lead. Lipsey ended a five-minute Cyclone field goal drought with a score on a drive, but OSU answered to move ahead 57-52 with 3:10 remaining and took control the rest of the
way.
Top Performance
Aljaž Kunc showed signs of returning to form after missing over a month with a broken finger. Kunc led the Cyclones with 13 points and hit two treys.
What’s Next
Iowa State remains at home, playing host to No. 17 TCU on Wednesday (Feb. 15). Tipoff is at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
