Rob Gray

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.

Iowa State routed Kansas, 68-53, last season in Ames to end a seven-game skid in the series. The seventh-ranked Jayhawks visit Hilton on Saturday to face the 23rd-ranked Cyclones in another anticipated game broadcast nationally on CBS.

Kelsey Joens’ desire to excel is all-consuming. It’s a family trait her older sister, Ashley — Iowa State’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder — exhibited in five seasons as a Cyclone. But Kelsey Joens adds a unique twist to her family’s formula for success.

Iowa State standout wrestler David Carr is facing the last true road trip of his decorated career. The No. 4-ranked Cyclones will swing through Oklahoma to wrestle the No. 18 Sooners at 7 p.m. Friday before tangling with No. 5 Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. Saturday in Stillwater.

Forty-seven fouls were called. Elbows swung vigorously and occasionally maliciously. And in the waning moments of No. 23 Iowa State’s grinding 78-67 win Wednesday over Kansas State, even the head coaches got heated.

Iowa State not only survived, but thrived in its first game without standout point guard Tamin Lipsey. But can the No. 23 Cyclones do that again if the Ames native must also sit out Wednesday’s 8 p.m. home game against Kansas State because of a sprained shoulder?

Curtis Jones racked up seven steals to match an Iowa State men’s basketball record and then hit two crucial free throws to help the No. 24 Cyclones hold off No. 19, 73-72.

Diagnosing what precisely is causing Iowa State’s 3-point shooting woes early in Big 12 men’s basketball play didn’t prove to be difficult for Milan Momcilovic — and he started with a self-critique.

First, the good news for Iowa State: The 24th-ranked Cyclones didn’t even need to suit up to notch their sixth straight Big 12 Conference win. Now, the bad news: When ISU actually got to play a game, it suffered its first league setback of the season, 71-63, to Texas Tech in Lubbock.

Audi Crooks’ favorite word isn’t “score.” It’s not “rebound.” It’s not even “win.” No, Iowa State’s star 6-foot-3 center — the program’s first freshman to attain Big 12 player of the week honors on Monday — adores a different word that embodies all of the aforementioned ones: “Growth.”

No. 20 BYU utterly dominated the 24th-ranked Cyclones in every facet of the game — including defense, which is what Iowa State Coach T.J. Otzelberger’s team “hangs its hat on.”

Iowa State dismantled Oklahoma State, 66-42, before a paid, but blizzard-affected crowd of 14,267 at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones trailed 15-10 early before springing a 12-0 run on the Cowboys to help build a 37-26 halftime lead.