Iowa State basketball clamps down on Oklahoma to win 17th-straight at Hilton Coliseum
AMES – The Iowa State men’s basketball team will enter March a game out of first place in the Big 12 and bearing down on a top-two NCAA Tournament seed.
A wretched offensive start to the game made little difference to the sixth-ranked Cyclones, who played their usual brand of rugged and opportunistic defense to earn a 58-45 victory Wednesday over Oklahoma.
"We grinded through the start by just playing defense, doing what we hang our hat on," senior guard Curtis Jones said. "Obviously, it was not pretty at all. It was ugly.
"But we were able to string together stops."
The victory keeps the Cyclones (22-6, 11-4 Big 12) one game behind second-ranked Houston in the league standings with three games to play. It also keeps them well-positioned for Selection Sunday, which could land the Cyclones in Omaha, potentially as a No. 2 seed.
Iowa State sophomore Demarion Watson had a career night, going 7-of-7 from the floor for 15 points to go along with nine rebounds. Jones had 11 points for the Cyclones while Keshon Gilbert tallied seven assists.
Iowa State will head into the final week of the regular season with a chance to complete an undefeated campaign at home for just the fifth time in program history when BYU visits. Wednesday's win over the Sooners (19-9, 7-8) was Iowa State's 17th-straight win at home. The Cyclones could also meet the program record for Big 12 wins in a season of 14, set by the 1999-2000 Big 12 champion Cyclones (though that was done in a 16-game conference season).
Iowa State took a five-point lead into halftime despite an absolutely miserable shooting performance. The Cyclones were 7-of-35 (20%) from the floor and 2-of-10 (20%) from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes.
"They disrupted us," Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said of the Sooners. "They had us on our heels. They were beating us to plays. They were the more physical team early in the game.
"All those things happened, and we were a bit frustrated."
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They were kept afloat by a 9-of-12 shooting performance from the free-throw line and an equally tough shooting performance from the Sooners. Oklahoma shot 28% from the field and went 0-of-7 from 3-point range to go along with seven turnovers before halftime.
Iowa State finished the first half on, by the standards of the offensively-maligned half, a torrid 9-0 run that took six minutes to complete.
The Cyclones’ offensive issues evened out after halftime, but the Sooners continued to be boxed in by the Iowa State defense.
Oklahoma shot 32.6% from the field for the game while going just 3-of-17 from deep. The Sooners also turned it over 14 times.
Demarion Watson's big night
Watson had fallen out of Iowa State's rotation by December.
The sophomore played at least 12 minutes in Iowa State's first four games of the season, but then struggled to see the floor for anything beyond spot minutes.
He found his way back into a small role by the time Big 12 play rolled around, but he came into Wednesday night not having scored in double figures this season (or in his career) and had only managed to get 10 minutes in a game once in February.
Then, he had the game of his short Cyclone career against the Sooners.
"Watson was a difference maker," Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said. "He gave them a tremendous lift.
"He was a huge spark for them."
Watson's final line was incredible, but his performance was more workmanlike than show-stopping. The 6-foot-7 wing from Minnesota didn't do much in the way of highlight plays or dramatic moments, but instead, he simply did his job.
He back cut. He floated from block to block. He made a critical open 3-pointer.
It was a masterclass of staying the course, staying ready and making the most of a moment.
"It shows you that everybody staying in their niche of what they do really well, you can be successful," Otzelberger said. "It’s great for everybody to see if you continue to do the blue-collar, hard-work things that are within the realm of your control, you can have success."
Watson's movement without the ball was the defining feature of his success, freeing him up for great looks around the basket throughout the night as his teammates found him time and again.
"Staying on the move," Watson said. "Our coaching staff always stresses to me staying on the move."
Watson's performance was also critical for the Cyclones with their leading scorers Tamin Lipsey and Gilbert going a combined 4-of-24 from the floor with the usually sure-shot Milan Momcilovic going 1-of-6.
"What you can see is guys that are hungry to play and ready for the moment," Otzelberger said. "Having guys that can come in and have that type of impact is huge."
Up next
The Cyclones head back on the road for their weekend tilt with Central Florida.
Saturday’s game will tip at 3 p.m. and be broadcast by ESPN+.
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The Knights are on a two-game winning streak after taking down Oklahoma State on the road Wednesday and beating Texas Tech at home Saturday.
They are 15-12 overall and 6-9 in Big 12 play.
Despite their struggles in its first season in the Big 12, UCF will still be a Quad 1 opponent for the Cyclones, as it stands now. The Knights rank 70th in the NET, just inside the top 75 required for a road game before it slips to Quad 2.
Every game and metric takes on added importance this time of year for the Cyclones, who are working not only toward a Big 12 regular season title but a high NCAA Tournament seed and spot in nearby Omaha for the opening rounds.
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball stays perfect at Hilton Coliseum this season
