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Iowa State 85, Oklahoma State 81 (OT)

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor
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AMES, Iowa — It wasn’t a miracle, but it was close to one for the Iowa State men’s basketball team.

The 16th-ranked Cyclones overcame a 16-point second-half deficit, needed nearly a half-court three to force overtime and used five free throws in the final 30 seconds to beat Oklahoma State 85-81 on Saturday.

After getting blocked, Iowa State guard DeAndre Kane hit a two-footer to put ISU up 80-79 in overtime with 25.6 seconds left.

After Kane and Oklahoma State guard Markel Brown traded free throws, the Cyclones went up three thanks to two free throws from guard Matt Thomas. Kane sealed the Iowa State win with a free throw with 1.7 seconds left after Brown missed two foul shots.

ISU almost never made it to overtime.

After Oklahoma State guard Phil Forte missed the backend of two free throws, Iowa State guard Naz Long hit nearly a half-court shot to tie the game at the end of regulation at 71.

The Cowboys looked poised to win the game in regulation after guard Marcus Smart hit three free throws in the final minute. But Forte was unable to convert on two foul shots with five seconds left that would have put Oklahoma State up by four.

Both teams played overtime without their leading scorers after Iowa State forward Melvin Ejim and Smart both fouled out.

Kane scored 27 points and dished out eight assists. Iowa State forward Georges Niang had 22 points.

Smart led the Cowboys with 27 points. Brown added 26 points.

Oklahoma State built a 32-25 halftime lead by draining five first-half 3-pointers. The Iowa State offense never got going in the first 20 minutes. The Cyclones shot 36.7 percent. They were also 2 of 13 (15.4 percent) from the 3-point line.

The Cowboys opened the second half with a 14-4 run, with Smart scoring 12 points, to build a 45-29 lead. The Cyclones responded after a timeout with a 12-0 run. ISU was able to take the lead at 57-55 with an 8-0 run, capped off by Thomas’ 3-pointer at the 7:48 mark.

The Cyclones got back into the game without Ejim, who picked up his fourth foul with 9:44 left. Ejimi fouled out with 3:42 left. Ejim finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. He became the fourth Big 12 player to record 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds.

Cyclone Alley, the Iowa State student cheering section, organized a group flop for Smart, who has developed a reputation for flopping this season. The student section flopped to the ground when Smart was introduced pregame and again when he went to the foul line.

NOTES: Iowa State F Melvin Ejim finished second in the Big 12 in scoring with 18.2 points. West Virginia G Juwan Staten averaged 18.4 points to lead the conference. … Oklahoma State G Marcus Smart has scored at least 20 points in all four games against Iowa State. He is averaging 23.0 points against ISU in his career. … ISU honored Ejim on senior day by playing “O Canada” before the game. Ejim is Canadian.

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.

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