Oklahoma Basketball: Sooners hold off Iowa State, 66-56

On Saturday, the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners took care of business against the Iowa State Cyclones (2-16, 0-13) in a 66-56 victory. With the win, OU improves to 14-5 on the season and 9-4 in Big 12 play.

Once again, senior guard Austin Reaves paced the Sooners on the floor, leading all scorers with 20 points while also adding five rebounds, one assist and a block. The veteran also delivered the dagger three-pointer in the final minute to effectively seal the ‘W’ for OU.

From the jump, Oklahoma was ready to dominate on both ends of the court. On offense, Reaves and company stayed patient until the right looks presented themselves. On defense, players were quick on their switches and made life in the passing lanes difficult for Iowa State. In fact, for most of the first half, the Cyclones struggled to find a rhythm, managing just nine points more than 11 minutes into the contest. Meanwhile, the Sooners’ lead ballooned to as much as 21 before a late ISU surge somewhat closed the gap. At the break, OU held a 41-25 lead.

The second half was a much different story for the Sooners. In essence, the script was flipped from how the game started for both squads. Iowa State continued its rally from the end of the first half to eventually take a one-point lead over Oklahoma. Fortunately for Lon Kruger’s top ten team, that deficit was short-lived. OU regained its footing despite a more energetic effort from the Cyclones, and before long pushed its advantage back to as many as 11 points. In the end, the Crimson & Cream prevailed, and in doing so, snapped a nine-game losing streak in Ames to earn its first win inside Hilton Coliseum since 2011.

Up next, Oklahoma will travel to the Little Apple on Tuesday, Feb. 23 to take on Kansas State. Last month, the Sooners cruised to a 76-50 rout over the Wildcats inside the LNC. Tip-off for this one is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.

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