Oklahoma Sooners 87 - Iowa State Cyclones 83 | Notes & Quotes

"Terrific battle all night long. It seemed like we were fighting it uphill for much of it. Iowa State made that run in the first half. We just credit Iowa State. We just didn't have the movement that we needed the whole first half, but we came back and moved it a little bit better in the second half, but still couldn't quite get over the hump. When we did, the crowd was in there and they were great all night. That made a big difference down the stretch. A lot of guys stepped up at the right times and made big plays, but I thought Iowa State battled and shot well and did a terrific job. It was a good win. Any time you beat a team like Iowa State, it's a good win." - Lon Kruger on the game in general

"We made a couple shots and a got a couple stops. That's on the players. Buddy carried us most of the night. Isaiah stepped up in the second half and made some big plays. Jordan made a shot to put us up there late. Ryan played on one leg there in the second half and did a big job. During that stretch, we got a couple stops, which we hadn't been able to do much of the night. Niang is one of the best players in the country of course and a big mismatch nightmare. He did a terrific job. Morris is great. They have good players. Burton had a big night. He stepped up there. We just kept hanging in there until we got a little spark and the crowd helped big time." - Lon Kruger on the final five minutes

"We felt like we were having some good possessions and they were hitting some tough shots. Coach kept telling us ‘just keep playing defense and it will all work out.' I think we had two or three stops in a row, took the lead, and then got stops when we needed to from then on." - Ryan Spangler on the flow of the game

"We know he's going to get it going for us. What he did was good for us. We needed that. He made two big shots for us. They were three's and they busted the gap open for us. He got a big time steal to find Ryan for the lob. Isaiah really stepped up and made some big plays when we needed him. He's just getting his confidence back and I can't wait to see what he's going to do Monday." - Buddy Hield on Isaiah Cousins in the second half

"We got some good looks, especially for being on the road. Monte had a wide open three on our last possession that just didn't go in, but it didn't come down to just that. Our turnovers were kind of fluke plays. We could second guess a few plays, but these guys made great offensive plays all night and we got great looks down the stretch. We'll live with it. We played a terrific game. We competed and had a great chance at the end. It's a tough game, because it's so hard to win on the road in the Big 12." - Steve Prohm on the Cyclones' offense late in the game

"They don't compare to anybody. They have so many guys that can shoot the ball, and that can get into gaps. They're a unique team with a great coach. So with that I would say that nobody we've seen so far plays like Oklahoma." - Georges Niang on comparing Oklahoma to other teams

Game Notes

• Oklahoma's 12-0 start is tied for their best in 28 years. The 2008-09 Sooners also began 12-0. The last team with a better start to a season was the 1987-88 Sooners (14-0). That team played in the national championship game.

• Five Sooners scored in double figures for the third time this season (also against Central Arkansas [seven players] and Villanova).

• After taking an 8-7 lead with 16:47 left in the first half, OU didn't go ahead again until Isaiah Cousins' 3-pointer gave the Sooners a 76-75 advantage with 5:53 to go in the game.

• OU finished 11 for 29 from 3-point range on the night, marking the seventh game this season the Sooners have made at least 10 3-point shots.

• The Sooners entered the game ranked second nationally in field goal percentage defense but allowed Iowa State to shoot an opponent-season-high .515 from the floor. The previous opponent high this year was .455 by Hawaii on Dec. 23.

• OU scored at least 80 points for the sixth straight game and for the 10th time in 12 overall outings this year.

• Saturday marked the third straight regular season game between the Sooners and Cyclones in which the road team held a double-digit lead only to lose.

• Buddy Hield registered his sixth straight game of at least 20 points with a team-high 22.

• Hield moved into ninth place on Saturday (passed Eduardo Najera) on OU's career scoring list with 1,662 points. He also tied Hollis Price for third place on the Sooners' career 3-pointers list (241).

• Ryan Spangler finished with a season-high-tying 20 points to go along with a game-high 12 rebounds.

• After going scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting in the first half, senior guard Isaiah Cousins finished with 15 points on 5-for-8 second-half shooting.

• Jordan Woodard finished with 14 points and a game-high 7 assists. He has scored at least 14 points six times this year after doing it three times in 35 games last year.

• Dinjiyl Walker came off the bench to score 10 points (one shy of a season high) in 11 minutes on 4-for-9 shooting, and 2-for-4 3-point shooting.