Iowa State basketball: Oklahoma State stuns Cyclones in wire-to-wire upset

Posted by author February 26, 2025 Basketball

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STILLWATER, Okla. − Iowa State basketball’s push came a bit too late in a game it trailed the entire way.

Unfortunately for the Cyclones, they were on the wrong end of an upset and a court storming against Oklahoma State, who entered Tuesday night’s matchup below-.500. The Cowboys set the tone from the opening tip with their disruptive and unrelenting play.

Iowa State was unable to climb out of the hole against the Cowboys, who didn’t look like a team that had been struggling throughout conference play.

The crowd Gallagher-Iba Arena fed into the frenzy as Oklahoma State maintained its lead the whole way in the wire-to-wire victory.

Iowa State fell behind by double digits in the first half against the Cowboys, who got their biggest win of the season in an upset over the ninth-ranked Cyclones, 74-68.

The Cyclones managed to battle back and get as close as four points when Joshua Jefferson hit back-to-back baskets to make it a 66-62 deficit with 2:04 remaining, but that would be the closest they would get.

Jefferson led with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block. Nate Heise had 13 points and six rebounds. Milan Momcilovic added 10 points.

Curtis Jones had 11 points on 2-of-8 shooting off the bench in his first game back from illness after missing Saturday’s game at Houston. Meanwhile, Keshon Gilbert missed his second straight game due to a muscle strain.

Iowa State shot just 41.4% overall and 8-of-27 (29.6%) against the Cowboys, who entered Tuesday night’s matchup ranked 302nd in 3-point defense and allowed opponents to shoot 55.1% from inside the arc (320th in the nation).

The Cowboys’ ball pressure got to Iowa State early. Not just by causing deflections from jumping passing lanes, but also by poking the ball loose with an in-your-face, unrelenting style of defense.

They forced 18 turnovers, many of them uncharacteristic for the Cyclones, which turned into 24 points for the Cowboys on the other end.

Oklahoma State also had the edge on the glass early. Although Iowa State closed the rebounding gap in the second half, the Cowboys outrebounded their foes 21-15 in the first half, including eight offensive rebounds that became 10 second-chance points − all ingredients that helped Oklahoma State build a 40-26 halftime lead.

Iowa State emerged out of the second half with a renewed effort and desperation to fight back into the game. The Cyclones rattled off a 9-0 run that allowed them to trim the deficit down to single digits. They started to force turnovers and cleaned up their play on the glass.

The Cowboys re-extended their lead, but Iowa State didn’t go away quietly.

The Cyclones staged a desperate push late and got the margin down to four, Bryce Thompson and Arturo Dean had a couple of baskets in the closing moments to seal the Cowboys’ victory.

Abou Ousmane led the Cowboys with 25 points, six rebounds and four steals. Dean had 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and seven steals. Thompson chipped in 11 points. Marchelus Avery had 10 points off the bench.

Oklahoma State shot 42.4% overall and 6-of-23 (26.1%) from beyond the arc.

Iowa State drops to 21-7 overall and 11-6 in Big 12 Conference play. The Cyclones will return home for a rematch with Arizona on Saturday night. Iowa State lost to the Wildcats in overtime last month. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT.

Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.