AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (18-9, 5-9 Big 12) staved off an Oklahoma (14-13, 4-10 Big 12) comeback attempt in a 75-54 victory Saturday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum.
Iowa State led by as many as 17 points in the second half before the Sooners made the Cyclone faithful a little anxious. However, the Cyclones made the plays down the stretch, including a 19-4 run in the last seven minutes to blow the game wide open.
Izaiah Brockington was sensational again, scoring 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field. It was the 11th 20-point game, including his third-straight, for the Cyclone star. Tyrese Hunter added 14 points and dished out seven dimes, his 12th game of the season with five or more assists.
The Cyclones made a season-high 67.3 percent of their shots, breaking a school record for highest percentage in a conference game. Iowa State shot 66.1 percent on Feb. 18, 1995 against Colorado.
After falling in a quick 8-0 hole, Iowa State dug out of it with hot shooting. The Cyclones went on a stretch where they made 8-of-9 shots to move ahead 23-16 with under eight minutes left in the opening period.
Kunc hit a pair of shots, including a try, and Tyrese Hunter buried a long triple to aid the Cyclone momentum.
Brockington had 12 first-half points, including a trey in the final minute, to give ISU a 40-25 lead at the break. Both teams made over half of their shots in the first 20 minutes, including a 75-percent clip by the Cyclones.
ISU briefly increased its lead to 17 points, but the baskets became harder to get, as the Sooners crept closer. OU mounted a 19-9 run to cut the Cyclone lead to a mere five points (49-44) with under 14 minutes remaining in the game.
An 8-4 run by ISU the following five minutes pushed the lead back to 57-48 with 7:23 remaining. Tristan Enaruna and Jayden Walker posted baskets in a key run to keep separation from the Sooners.
Moments later, Hunter hit a big trey with the shot clock winding down followed by a lay-up by Brockington to push the Cyclone lead to 64-52 at the 5:07 mark.
