Iowa State Tops Oklahoma, 80-69
By Ross
Iowa State improved to 19-8 overall and 9-5 in the Big 12 after an eleven point win against the Sooners in Ames today. Iowa State torched the Sooners earlier in the season from behind the arc, and did it again today, making 11 of 22 3-pointers. Scott Christopherson led the Cyclones today with 25 points with 15 of those coming from 3-pointers.
Oklahoma got out to a very quick lead but the Cyclones went on a 12-2 run. The scoring then slowed down and the Sooners got back to 2 points, but Iowa State went on another run right after that. Iowa State took a 37-28 lead into the locker room. Melvin Ejim injured his shoulder in the first half and went back to the locker room, but was able to return. Also, Royce White was held scoreless in the first 20 minutes and was on the bench for awhile due to personal fouls.
The Sooners got back in the game after a little run, but like earlier, the Cyclones countered it with another run of their own. Later in the second half, Melvin Ejim was ejected from the game. Him and Carl Blair went down to the floor and then Blair gave Ejim on a screen set by Melvin. Ejim retaliated with a hard pick, putting his elbows high on Blair, and was ultimately ejected. It looks like Ejim may be forced to sit out the next game against Texas Tech. Anyways, the Sooners made the score look better at the end of the game, getting it down to 11 at the end of the game.
As I mentioned earlier, Scott Christopherson was “the guy” for the Cyclones today. He dropped 25 points including his 1,000th for the Cyclones in his career. After the game, Christopherson told how it has always been his dream to play in the NCAA tournament, and it looks like the Cyclones will get there. Scotty has been on some bad teams at Iowa State, so it is great to finally have him on a good team.
Besides Christopherson, three other Cyclones were in double figures. Chris Allen had 16 and went 4 for 7 from beyond the arc. Melvin Ejim finished the day with a double-double, 10 points and 14 rebounds. Royce White was in foul trouble throughout the day and was on the bench for a lot of the game (4 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds). Coming in for White, Percy Gibson had another great game off the bench. Gibson had 11 points and 7 rebounds. Also, Tyurs McGee pitched in 9 points.
Oklahoma’s leading scorer, Steven Pledger, struggled against the Cyclones again. Pledger only had 7 points. You can thank Chris Babb’s defense for Pledger’s struggles.
The Cyclones are in good position for a first-round bye in the Big 12 tournament and a NCAA tournament bid.
The Cyclones host Texas Tech on Wednesday.
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