By: Zach Williamson
Ames, IA – Coming off a tough road loss to the Texas Longhorns, the Cyclones put together 40 minutes of solid basketball on both ends of the floor, cruising to a 80-64 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners at Hilton Coliseum.
Iowa State (15-9, 7-5) once again thrived off of the shot from behind the arc, going 12-26 from downtown. The Cyclones were led by sharpshooting seniors Naz Mitrou-Long (23 points, 6 rebounds) and Matt Thomas (13 points), who combined for a total of nine three-pointers.
The game had the looks of being another one that Cyclone fans would have to sweat out when the Sooners (8-16, 2-10) tied it up at 41 on a Rashard Odomes layup with 15:48 to play. The
Cyclones then went on a 21-4 run to give them a comfortable lead that they held for the remainder of the game.
Iowa State was outrebounded 47-32, but were able to make up for it by winning the turnover battle 14-3. Much of this is credited to the Preseason Big 12 Player of the year Monte Morris.
Morris finished the game with nine assists and zero turnovers, going along with 13 points, six rebounds and three steals. The Cyclones were able to score 17 points off of Sooner turnovers, while the Sooners only scored five.
Freshman forward Solomon Young started for the first time in his career and gave the Cyclones some very solid minutes. Although he had four personal fouls, he contributed eight points on 4-5 shooting from the floor and played very solid interior defense collecting two blocks in the paint.
“After the Texas game, going back and watching tape, I thought this was the best thing for this team moving forward,” said Iowa State coach Steve Prohm. “I think he has earned it.”
Senior forward Merrill Holden was held out in Saturday’s action for precautionary reasons after a minor injury in practice this past week, while Senior forward Darrell Bowie played a total of 12 minutes.
The Cyclones shot 46 percent from the floor and saw double-digit scorers in Donovan Jackson (10 points) and Deonte Burton (11 points) as well. The Sooners were held to 39 percent from the floor and to just 26 percent from three point range.
Iowa State will hit the road Wednesday for Manhattan, Kansas to take on the Kansas State
Wildcats (16-9, 5-7) at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
