Second-half surge carries Sooners over Cyclones

NORMAN, Okla. - Isaiah Cousins and TaShawn Thomas had been up and down recently for 17th-ranked Oklahoma.

Last night against No. 14 Iowa State, though, both were excellent, helping the Sooners to a 94-83 Big 12 Conference win at Lloyd Noble Center.

The win puts the Sooners (17-7, 8-5 Big 12) alone in second place in the conference. Iowa State falls to 17-6 and 7-4.

Thomas, a senior forward, led Oklahoma with 22 points and added 11 rebounds. Cousins, a junior guard, had 19 points and four assists.

Junior guard Buddy Hield added 17 points and junior forward Ryan Spangler and sophomore guard Frank Booker scored 14 each. Spangler also had 12 rebounds.

Senior forward Dustin Hogue led the Cyclones with 19 points.

The Sooners trailed by as many as 10 points late in the first half, but tied it by the break and then started the second half with six quick points.

Oklahoma took control for good on a pair of big baskets by Thomas about five minutes into the second half and then steadily pulled away, leading by as many as 20 points.

The Sooners overcame a pair of scares, as both Spangler and freshman forward Khadeem Lattin left the game with injuries in the second half. But the Sooners played well in their absence, and both were able to return eventually.

Iowa State had built its 10-point lead late in the first half thanks to nine 3-pointers, including three each from junior guard Naz Long and Hogue.

But Oklahoma finished with a flourish to tie the game 46-46 at the break, scoring the final seven points of the half in a burst fueled by Hield.

Hield nailed a long jumper with a little more than a minute left to start the run, then his steal led to a reverse layup by sophomore point guard Jordan Woodard a few seconds later.

Then Hield sent the crowd into a frenzy with a game-tying 3-pointer after another stop on the defensive end.

The momentum swing wasn't finished, though, as Thomas blocked Iowa State forward Daniel Edozie's shot in the final seconds to keep the game tied at 46.

For the second consecutive game, Iowa State started Jameel McKay over Bryce Dejean-Jones. Dejean-Jones was benched after arriving late to Saturday's game against Texas Tech.

Iowa State hosts West Virginia on Saturday.