Oklahoma State stuns No. 9 Iowa State in Stillwater
Oklahoma State pulled off an improbable win against a top 10 opponent Tuesday evening, hanging on for a 74-68 upset win against Iowa State. The Cowboys led the entire way but had to fend off a late comeback effort from the Cyclones.
OSU led by 14 points at halftime and kept a commanding lead throughout most of the second half but allowed Iowa State to cut it down to a four-point deficit with as little as 11 seconds remaining. But with the Cyclones forced to foul, it turned into a game of free throws and the Cowboys held on.
Fans stormed the court at Gallagher-Iba Arena as they celebrated what marked the first top 10 victory for Oklahoma State since 2022, when it beat No. 1 Baylor. Abou Ousmane led the way with 25 points, while Arturo Dean chipped in 14 to go along with seven steals.
Tuesday night’s victory also marked the first AP top 25 win for first-year OSU coach Steve Lutz. The Cowboys (14-14, 6-11 Big 12) have now won two of their past three games and are showing signs of progress to finsh out the season.
Oklahoma State jumped out to a 12-5 lead within the first five minutes of the game and never looked back. Iowa State trimmed it to 44-39 before Brandon Newman made an off-balance, contested shot in the lane to help the Cowboys regain control.
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That sparked a 7-0 run that led to an Cyclones timeout. Oklahoma State pushed its lead to 56-41, then hung on at the end.
The Cowboys defense looked much better after it previously gave up 93 or more points in each of its three most recent games. In addition to the seven steals from Dean, Ousmane also chipped in four steals as OSU forced 18 turnovers.
Although hope of making the NCAA Tournament is gone at this point (barring a mircale in the Big 12 Tournament), perhaps this victory can help Oklahoma State gain some momentum to close out Lutz’s first season. OSU has three games remaining in the regular season, beginning on the road against Baylor on Saturday.
As for Iowa State, the Cyclones seeding line might take a hit from this loss. They were a No. 2 seed according to On3’s latest bracketology projections and will look to bounce back against Arizona on Saturday.