Rob Gray

Cyclones hit the road Tuesday for a men’s basketball game against the Beacats in always rough and tumble Big 12

Iowa State won six of 10 bouts and notched its fifth straight win over Northern Iowa.

The Big 12-leading Oklahoma Sooners led by as many as 18 points and cruised to an 86-72 women’s basketball win over Iowa State before a Hilton Coliseum crowd of 10,377.

Big man Robert Jones deftly delivered three assists. Guard Keshon Gilbert dished out seven. And No. 14 Iowa State simply distributed the ball extremely efficiently Saturday against TCU, totaling 20 assists on 24 made field goals en route to a workmanlike 71-59 win over the Horned Frogs.

Kevin Dresser kept the funny flashcards and the usual pre-dual barbs to a minimum. Instead, Iowa State’s head wrestling coach went bout-by-bout to help highlight how competitive and fun — from a fan’s perspective, especially— his fourth-ranked team’s dual at 1 p.m. Sunday against No. 17 Northern Iowa should be at Hilton Coliseum.

If she’s not passing the basketball, she’s dishing out advice. If she’s not scoring, she’s poring over details to make her team better. In short, Iowa State senior point guard Emily Ryan serves as a de facto coach as well as a player — and her valuable dual role could be key in helping the Cyclones shake off their recent slump.

Don’t expect much to change for Iowa State as it seeks its fourth straight win over TCU in the series before a soldout crowd at Hilton Coliseum. But it would be unwise to assume TCU will approach its second meeting with the Cyclones the same way, given it turned the ball over 27 times in the game Tamin Lipsey was forced to witness from the bench.

Iowa State sophomore point guard Tamin Lipsey made an array of big plays down the stretch, as the No. 14 Cyclones handled Texas, 70-65, Tuesday in Austin.

Brock Purdy will become the first former Iowa State quarterback to start in a Super Bowl in a mere six days. The San Francisco 49ers’ second-year playcaller’s meteoric rise from “Mr. Irrelevant” to NFL star often comes with the tag “improbable” attached — but none of Purdy’s considerable success surprises Cyclones football coach Matt Campbell.

The duo of Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert has been key during the current Iowa State men’s basketball winning sreak. The Cyclones are at Baylor on Saturday.

Iowa State wrestler Casey Swiderski took it easy after an injury last season, something he didn’t do this season.

Another night, another new career high in scoring for Audi Crooks. And Iowa State needed every one of the freshman center’s 29 points to put away Oklahoma State, 78-67, Wednesday before a crowd of 9,962 at Hilton Coliseum.

Iowa State will be taking in its first home game since beating No. 13 Baylor, 66-63, on Jan. 13. The Cyclones’ scheduled home date with TCU on Jan. 20 became a win by forfeit, so enjoying the Hilton crowd’s loud support against the Cowgirls could serve as a salve of sorts after a three-game losing skid.

Regional and national news reports that featured allegations leveled at Iowa State that it had spied on Kansas State’s coaches and players during timeouts in Wednesday’s 78-67 win over the Wildcats compelled coach T.J. Otzelberger to speak up after Saturday’s win over Kansas.

Keshon Gilbert drained a shot clock buzzer-beating 3-pointer with 41 seconds left to essentially seal No. 23 Iowa State’s 79-75 triumph over Kansas — and moments later, fans streamed onto the Hilton floor to celebrate.