Cyclones' Effort Falls Short Against Ranked Sooners at Hilton Coliseum
The Iowa State Cyclones faced a challenging contest against the 24th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, culminating in a final score of 86-72. The Cyclones now stand with an unranked status, while the Sooners improved their record. Despite a hard-fought battle on their home court at James H. Hilton Coliseum, the Cyclones could not overcome the offensive surge of the visiting team.
The game was marked by intense competition, with seven lead changes and two instances where the score was tied. The Cyclones put up a resilient defense with four blocks to their name but were outmatched by the Sooners who managed three blocks themselves. On offense, Iowa State struggled from beyond the arc, converting only eight out of 26 attempts for a three-point shooting percentage of 31 percent.
Iowa State's efforts were hampered by turnovers; they gave up possession 20 times compared to Oklahoma's 19 turnovers. However, both teams showed similar aggression in steals with Iowa State recording eight and Oklahoma slightly ahead with twelve. In terms of assists, Iowa State tallied fifteen while Oklahoma demonstrated superior ball movement with twenty-five assists.
Rebounding was another area where Iowa State fell short; they grabbed thirty-eight rebounds (ten offensive and twenty-eight defensive) against Oklahoma's forty-seven (thirteen offensive and thirty-four defensive). This disparity contributed to fewer second-chance points for the Cyclones who scored nine compared to twelve from the Sooners.
Free throw accuracy also played a role in this matchup as Iowa State made eighteen free throws out of twenty-nine attempts for a percentage of sixty-two percent while Oklahoma converted seven out of twelve attempts which is fifty-eight percent accurate.
Despite these challenges, there were bright spots for Iowa State as they fought valiantly in front of an attendance crowd numbering ten thousand three hundred seventy-seven fans who witnessed every play unfold until time expired on the clock showing zero-zero.
Looking ahead after this tough conference game loss, fans can catch their next chance to support The Cyclones when they host Kansas State Wildcats at James H. Hilton Coliseum on February 14 at 6:30 PM local time. This upcoming game will be available for viewing on ESPN+, ensuring that supporters can follow every moment as it happens live from Ames.