Cyclones Rally Past Oklahoma State, 73-66

AMES, Iowa? Iowa State had four players in double figures and held Oklahoma State to 30 percent second half shooting in a 73-66 comeback win Saturday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum. ISU, winners of nine of its last 11 games, improves to 12-6 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 play.

"That's a really good win for us," ISU head coach Greg McDermott said. "We have not been in a situation where we trailed by double digits and found a way to come back. I thought we defended well early and were efficient. We talked about really having to dig in defensively and we did that today."

Iowa State opened up an 11-6 lead but quickly lost it. OSU's Martavius Adams and Rahshon Clark got into a tussle after a Craig Brackins free-throw. Adams was charged with a foul, but Clark was whistled for a technical. Angered by the incident, McDermott was charged with his first technical of his Cyclone coaching career.

OSU's Terrel Harris hit four free-throws and the Cowboys got hot, taking a 24-18 lead with 10:22 left in the first half. Harris and Byron Eaton both buried a trey in the 18-7 Cowboy run. OSU increased its lead to 29-20 on back-to-back baskets by Marcus Dove with 8:44 left in the first half.

After OSU took a 10-point lead, the Cyclones cut it to 33-32 with a 9-0 run. Diante Garrett had five points in the ISU flurry. Rahshon Clark nailed a trey to close the gap to 37-35 with :42 seconds left, but Byron Eaton buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give OSU a 40-35 halftime lead. Clark's trey gave the senior his 1,001 career point. He now ranks 25th on ISU career scoring list after passing Al Koch (1964-66) this afternoon.

The Cyclones regained their first lead since the opening minutes when Clark knocked down his second trey of the game to make it a 43-42 ISU advantage with 16:03 remaining.

Both teams finally heated up after a sluggish starts to the second half. OSU's Obi Muonelo scored seven quick points to tie the game at 52-52 with 11:00 minutes left in regulation. However, Jiri Hubalek answered on the other end with a trey to push ISU back out in front 55-52.

Dove made a pair of hoops to let the Cowboys regain the lead at 56-55, but ISU had an answer once again with a big 3-pointer from Craig Brackins to get ISU back up 58-56 with 7:07 remaining. Clark added two free-throws for ISU then Garrett got a steal and converted it into a lay-in for Brackins on the other end to give ISU a six-point cushion (62-56) with 6:08 left.

ISU could not finish off OSU, missing two front ends of one-and-one situations in the final two minutes. With ISU clinging to a 67-64 lead with :48 seconds left, the Cowboys' Harris missed a trey to tie and Hubalek came away with the board and was promptly fouled. Hubalek made both foul shots to put ISU back up 69-64. Anderson made a pair of free-throws to get it back to three points, but Hubalek was again fouled, hitting both foul shots to put the game away.

The Cyclones got it done at the free-throw line, making 81.8 percent (27-33) of their foul shots, including a 11-of-14 effort in the final five minutes. It was the fourth time this season where ISU attempted 30 or free-throws in a game. The Cyclones shot 50 percent for the game, the fifth time this year where ISU achieved the 50 percent mark in a game.

Johnson tallied a career-high 24 points to pace the Cyclones, going 8-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Brackins added 15 points and Hubalek chipped in with 13 points. Alex Thompson did not attempt a shot in the game, but his effort and hustle aided the Cyclone victory. The junior from Ames drew two charges, had three assists and a career-high three blocks.

"I thought Alex (Thompson) was really instrumental," McDermott added. "Some of the help he provided and some of his hustle plays were very important."

ISU travels to No. 3 Kansas, Wednesday (Jan. 23) on ESPN. Tip is set for 6 p.m.

Notes
- ISU head coach Greg McDermott was whistled for the first technical of his Cyclone coaching career.
- ISU trailed at the half for the first time in its last 10 games.
- Rahshon Clark recorded his 1,000th point in his career in the first half...he now ranks 25th on ISU's career scoring chart with 1,006 points.
- Clark had two steals today to give him 134 in his career which leaves him tied for 10th with Julius Michalik.
- Wesley Johnson scored a career-high 24 points...Johnson has been in double figures in eight-straight games.
- Wesley Johnson recorded his second-straight 20-point game and his team-leading fourth of he season...he had a career high 24 points.
- ISU tied a season high with eight 3-pointers, making 8-of-14 shots from downtown.
- Alex Thompson tallied a career-high three blocks.
- ISU is 9-0 when scoring 70 or more points.
- ISU shot over 50 percent for the fifth time this season (19-38 FG).

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Team Stats

Wesley Johnson

Craig Brackins

Jiri Hubalek

Rahshon Clark

Players Mentioned

Craig Brackins

Craig Brackins

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Diante Garrett

Diante Garrett

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Alex Thompson

Alex Thompson

Alex Thompson

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