Oklahoma basketball: Sooners’ 2nd-half surge fuels 61-50 upset of No. 23 Iowa State
By Chip Rouse
The Oklahoma basketball men have had trouble all season finishing off opponents. Not on this Saturday.
A game that began like an Iowa State blowout of the Oklahoma basketball men turned out to be the other way around. The Sooners (14-15, 4-12) outscored Iowa State 38-22 in the second half and came away with a huge road win at a place that is one of the loudest Big 12 arenas and a very difficult place to play.
Oklahoma completed a 61-50 upset of 23rd-ranked Iowa State on Saturday, winning for just the second time in the last 11 visits to ISU’s Hilton Coliseum.
The Sooners had a horrific start to the game. Five minutes into the contest Oklahoma had as many turnovers as shot attempts and still had not scored. At the under-12 media timeout, OU trailed 14-3, and it appeared that the game was on the verge of getting away from the Sooners.
The Sooners battled back behind the Groves brothers, Tanner and Jacob, scoring 20 of the next 34 points and trailed by just five, 28-23, at halftime.
An 11-4 run to begin the second half gave Oklahoma its first lead in the game. Tanner Groves drained a three-point shot to put the Sooners up 31-30. Jacob Groves gunned in another three-pointer on OU’s next possession, and that was quickly followed by a steal and breakaway layup by Jalen Hill and OU was off to the races. The Sooners never trailed again, eventually widening their advantage to a dozen points and not only silencing the Iowa State offense but the usually deafening Hilton Coliseum crowd.
Oklahoma shot 46 percent for the game and a red-hot 44 percent from long range, led by a four of five three-point performance by Jacob Groves. The Sooners couldn’t buy a three-point shot early in the game and were just three for 10 in the first half. It was the three-point shot that turned the tide in this game for Oklahoma. OU hit seven of 13 three-balls over the second 20 minutes.
This was a complete team win by the Sooners, something that has been lacking in far too many games this season. Every OU player who saw action scored in the game, led by 16 points off the bench by Jacob Groves. The Sooner defense also deserves plenty of the credit, holding the Cyclones to just 31-percent shooting from the field and their lowest point total of the season.
The good news: This was a huge win by the Sooners. Unfortunately, they remain in the Big 12 basement with just four conference wins but avoid falling two games behind the next spot up.
The OU men are next in action Wednesday night at No. 14 Kansas State.