NORMAN, Oklahoma – Elijah Harkless scored a season-high 19 points, and No. 9 Oklahoma held off Iowa State 79-72 on Saturday.
Austin Reaves, Oklahoma’s scoring leader this season, missed the previous two games while in COVID-19 protocols. He started and had 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Brady Manek, who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since being out with COVID-19, had nine points and a career-high 15 rebounds for the Sooners (12-5, 7-4 Big 12). Umoja Gibson added 18 points for Oklahoma, which bounced back from a close loss at No. 10 Texas Tech.
Rasir Bolton scored 21 points and surpassed 1,000 career points for the Cyclones (2-11, 0-8), who haven’t won since Dec. 20. Iowa State made 16 of 31 3-pointers, but just 11 of 40 shots inside the arc.
The Sooners led 40-36 at halftime. Reaves and Gibson each scored 10 points before the break.
Iowa State tied it at 53 on a 3-pointer by Bolton with just over 11 minutes to play, but Oklahoma’s Kur Kuath threw down a two-handed jam on a lob from Reaves.
Iowa State led 58-57 before the Sooners went on an 11-0 run that included seven points by Jalen Hill and put Oklahoma in control for good.
It was the second straight close loss for the Cyclones against a ranked team – Iowa State lost to No. 17 West Virginia 76-72 on Tuesday. The wins aren’t there yet, but the Cyclones are showing they can compete.
Iowa State plays at TCU on Tuesday.
