Cowboys Looking To Extend Winning Streak Against Iowa State on Tuesday
STILLWATER – The last time Oklahoma State played Iowa State, it was up in Ames in the middle of a blistering cold snowstorm. Now, it’s the Cowboys’ turn to return the cold favor as the Cyclones are in a frozen and snow-covered Stillwater for the second of the two-game series between the two teams.
Tipoff has been moved up to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16 and will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
The Cowboys are fresh off a 67-60 win over Kansas State this past Saturday. Cade Cunningham led the way for the Pokes with a 15-point performance with four rebounds, five assists and five turnovers.
The Pokes jumped out to a 20-point lead, 41-21, to start the second half, but turnovers were an issue once again as the K-State went on a 16-0 run to cut the lead down to just four-points. The Pokes combined for 17 against the Wildcats, but they did, however, force 14 on the other end.
"The number’s definitely too high,” head coach Mike Boynton said of the turnovers. “Now, I’ll need to go back to the film and figure out where they’re coming from. There is always a couple questionable ones; I think Rondel [Walker's] charge – it’s a bang, bang play that one is – [Bernard Kouma’s] screen. We want to be in the 12-13 range, so we’re not in the 20s like we have been the past few games, but we still want to get that number down closer to single digits rather than double."
They Cowboys will be looking to limit turnovers once again as they had a season-high 24 turnovers last time out against the Cyclones.
The last time out between these two teams, the Cowboys beat the Cyclones 81-60 up in Ames and will be looking to make it four-straight wins for the first time since the 2009-11 seasons. This game also marks the second-straight in which Boynton and Co. will be looking to hold off a team that’s trying to snap a 10-game losing streak.
However, the Cyclones have gotten really solid play from a combo of players. Rasir Bolton is averaging 17.3 points in the last four games against OU, two against Kansas and one against TCU. Jalen Coleman-Lands scored 20 points in back-to-back games against Kansas and freshman Jaden Walker hauled in 14 rebounds against the Jayhawks, the most from an ISU freshman since 1996-97.
The Cyclones have four starters averaging in double-digit points on the season: junior Rasir Bolton, Jalen Coleman-Lands, senior Solomon Young and junior Javan Johnson. Bolton is averaging 15.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game this season, with Coleman-Lands putting up 13.0 points, Young 11.3 points and Johnson 10.7.
It was Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe who led the way for the Pokes against the Cyclones in January. He recorded a career-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, with Rondel Walker, Kalib Boone and Avery Anderson III next up scoring 20 points, 15 points and 11 points respectively.
Cowboy junior Isaac Likekele missed the Kansas State game as the coaching staff decided he needed the rest to try and heal up a nagging foot ailment. It’s still unclear whether or not Likekele will suit up against the Cyclones, but it will most likely be a game-time decision on Tuesday.
"No, it’s way too early for that,” Boynton said Saturday of Likekele’s status against ISU. “We’re just monitoring his improvement. The training room is his best friend right now. Erik [Pastrana] and [athletic trainer] Kevin Blaske has done a great job of keeping him in a positive frame of mind. He did a little bit in warmups today. We’ll see if he can do much in practice. Obviously, it’s not a Saturday-Monday, but a Tuesday is a still shorter turnaround than what you usually get sometimes on a Wednesday. So, we’ll see. I think we’ll know a little bit closer to game day whether he’ll be able to go."