Postgame Notes: Oklahoma State 64 - No. 11 Iowa State 56

Oklahoma State - 64, Iowa State - 56

Feb. 11, 2023 | Ames, IA (Hilton Coliseum) 

Updated Records: Oklahoma State 16-9 overall, 7-5 Big 12 I Iowa State 16-8 overall, 7-5 Big 12

Oklahoma State Leaders: Points - John-Michael Wright - 19, Assists - Kalib Boone, Caleb Asberry - 3, Rebounds - Kalib Boone, Moussa Cisse - 8

Iowa State Leaders: Points - Aljaz Kunc - 13, Assists - Jaren Holmes, Gabe Kalscheur - 3, Rebounds - Osun Osunniyi - 8

Game Flow

• Bryce Thompson hit the first shot of the night in Ames with a corner three to give the Cowboys the early lead.
• John-Michael Wright’s first basket of the game capped off a 7-0 run to give OSU a 12-9 lead.
• Seven points from Bryce Thompson and six from John-Michael Wright paced the Cowboys in the first 12 minutes as the Cowboys and Cyclones were all knotted up at 19 with 7:15 left in the first half.
• Five-straight points from Chris Harris Jr. kept the Cowboys offense going, but OSU trailed 25-24 with 4:08 left in the half.
• The Cowboys’ defense held the Cyclones scoreless for the final two minutes of the first half, but headed into the locker room down six, 32-26.
• Kalib Boone scored the first bucket of the second half and assisted the second on a Bryce Thompson three, bringing the Iowa State lead down to just four points.
• OSU scored on four of its first five possessions of the second half, but two three-pointers from ISU kept the Cowboys chasing, down 40-36 with 15:42 remaining.
• Four quick points out of the timeout for the Cowboys tied it up at 40.
• John-Michael Wright scored seven-straight as OSU continued to battle on both ends, tied at 48 with 7:30 remaining.
• Wright knocked down two free-throws, making the score 50-48, giving the Cowboys their first lead since the score was 17-16 midway through the first half.
• Caleb Asberry’s first three of the game was a big one, extending the Pokes run to 10-2 and upping the lead to five with 4:35 remaining. 
• The Cowboys never looked back after taking the lead, thoroughly controlling the final four minutes as the Pokes grabbed a huge road victory, 64-56.

Game Notes

• Head coach Mike Boynton went with Caleb Asberry, Bryce Thompson, John-Michael Wright, Kalib Boone and Woody Newton as the starting-five for the third-straight game. The Cowboys are 7-1 since inserting Newton as a starter.
• John-Michael Wright shouldered the load offensively, tying a season-high with 19 points, the fourth time he has scored 17 or more points in Big 12 play. Wright also added two rebounds, two assists and two steals while knocking down 3-of-6 three-pointers.
• Kalib Boone continues to dominate the paint on both sides of the floor, scoring eight points while grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out three assists and blocking two shots.
• Boone remains the Cowboys’ all-time leader in field goal percentage in a career at 60.2 percent. At his current pace, Boone will become the first Cowboy to surpass the 60 percent mark in two separate seasons.
• Bryce Thompson is always a threat to score the ball, collecting 12 points and reaching double-figures for the 14th time this season.
• Caleb Asberry reached double-figures for the seventh time this season after scoring all 10 points in the second half. Asberry scored seven of the Cowboys' last 12 points.
• The Cowboys overcame a six-point halftime deficit, becoming the first Big 12 team to trail at halftime in Ames and win in regulation since 3/9/19 when Texas Tech defeated Iowa State, 80-73.
• In the two games against Iowa State this season, the Cowboys outscored the Cyclones 74-48 in the second halves.
• OSU has found success on the offensive end lately, scoring 30 or more points in 11 of its last 13 halves of basketball. 
• As a team, the Cowboys have reached at least three blocks in 24 of 25 games this season. OSU leads the Big 12 with 5.4 blocked shots per game, which ranks 14th in the country.
• OSU has held 21 of its 25 opponents to 35 percent shooting or less from the three-point line, and 14 of 25 have shot less than 30 percent. The Cowboys rank 19th in the country in three-point defense, holding opponents to 29.5 percent.

Oklahoma State’s win…

• Improved the Cowboys to 72-67 in the Iowa State series dating back to 1927.
• Is OSU’s third win in a row against the Cyclones.
• Is the sixth in the past seven meetings.
• Is the ninth in the past 13 meetings.
• Is the second series sweep in the past three seasons.
• Gave the Cowboys three-straight wins in Ames for the first time since 2011-13.
• Gave Iowa State its first loss at home this season. The last time Iowa State lost in Hilton Coliseum was March 2, 2022, against OSU in a 53-36 Cowboy victory.
• Is OSU's 59th win as conference foes.
• Extended the Cowboys' season-long win streak to five, its longest since November 2021.
• Is the Cowboys' third win over a ranked opponent this season.
• Gave OSU its fifth Quad 1 win this season.
• Gave OSU back-to-back wins over ranked opponents for the first time since the 2021 Big 12 Tournament.
• Gave Mike Boynton 23 wins over ranked opponents in his career.
• Is Mike Boynton's 103rd career win, putting him four shy of Paul Hansen for fourth-most in school history.

Team Streaks

• OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 752 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
• The Cowboys have shot over 40 percent from the field in eight-straight games.
• The Cowboys have posted 10 or more assists in 32 of their past 37 games dating back to last season. 
• Dating back to last season, OSU has held 27 of its past 29 opponents under their season scoring average.
• The Cowboys have made 10 or more free throws in 18 of 25 games this season after doing so in 18 of their 30 games last season. 
• OSU has used its size to take advantage of smaller opponents on offense this season, outscoring 17 of its 25 opponents in the paint.
• OSU has forced 10 or more turnovers in 16-straight Big 12 games.
• Oklahoma State has recorded at least five steals in 21 of its 25 games this season.
• Kalib Boone has reached double-figures scoring in nine of his past 12 games and has scored 18 or more in four of his last six.
• Boone has recorded four or more rebounds in six-straight games.
• Moussa Cisse has recorded at least one block in every game this season in which he has played at least five minutes. The only game Cisse didn’t record a block was against Oklahoma when he recorded just two minutes of action.
• Woody Newton has made at least one three-pointer in nine-straight games and has recorded two or more rebounds in 16 consecutive contests.
• Bryce Thompson has become a playmaker for the Cowboys, collecting at least three assists in five of his last eight games.