Cyclones Drop One to No. 22 Oklahoma

Wednesday, February 4

Norman, Okla.

TBA

Iowa State

13-5, 4-3

Oklahoma

14-4, 4-3

Team	1	2	F
Iowa State	17	31	48
Oklahoma	31	44	75

Cyclones Drop One to No. 22 Oklahoma

02.04.2004 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Iowa State University

NORMAN, Okla. - The leading scorer on the worst-shooting team in the Big 12 didn't have even one point.

Yet offensively challenged Oklahoma notched its most lopsided victory in almost two months.

For a defensive-minded coach such as Kelvin Sampson, few wins could be more satisfying.

"You can tell that we were due for this," Sampson said after his 22nd-ranked Sooners rolled to a 75-48 victory over Iowa State on Wednesday night. "We've made a lot of progress. We're turning into a team and a team is hard to beat."

Though freshman Drew Lavender went scoreless as he battled a fever, De'Angelo Alexander scored 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and Lawrence McKenzie added 16 to help Oklahoma win its fourth-straight game.

McKenzie hit a couple of 3s on back-to-back possessions early in the second half to spark a 21-5 run, turning the game into a rout for the Sooners (14-4, 4-3 Big 12).

Oklahoma has finally climbed over .500 in conference play since losing four straight, the last defeat a 67-47 setback at Texas Tech.

"Not very many teams can lose four games and turn around and win four games in a row," Sampson said. "That's what makes me so proud of our team - our toughness."

Iowa State (13-5, 4-3), coming off a 68-61 upset of then-No. 15 Kansas on Saturday, got off to a rough start and never was able to recover against the hot-shooting Sooners.

The Cyclones didn't score a point in the final 6:14 of the first half, with Oklahoma finishing on a 13-2 run en route to a 31-17 lead at the break.

Oklahoma broke the game open early in the second with a barrage of 3-pointers, the first coming from McKenzie.

Then Alexander hit a 3-pointer, Jason Detrick scored on a dunk and Brandon Foust nailed a 3 to give the Sooners a 60-36 lead with 9:36 left.

The Sooners, who shoot a conference-worst 42 percent, finished with a season-high 12 3-pointers on 25 attempts.

"I tell you what, they weren't the worst shooting team in the Big 12 tonight," Iowa State coach Wayne Morgan said. "Our defense could have played better, but at the same time, those kids made some deep 3-point shots."

The Cyclones didn't help matters by committing 19 turnovers and making only 17 baskets on 34-percent shooting. Iowa State trailed by as many as 30 points in the game's final minutes.

"We can't sit around crying in our soup," Morgan said. "We have to figure out a way to get better."

Curtis Stinson led Iowa State with 13 points.

Oklahoma put on an impressive offensive display considering its top scorer, Lavender, went scoreless for the first time in his young career.

Lavender attempted only two shots and had three assists, just the latest disappointment for the 5-foot-7 freshman. He's scored a total of 27 points in the past five games, well under his 12-point average in non-conference games.

But the Sooners have picked up the scoring pace behind another freshman guard, McKenzie, and the re-emergence of Detrick, who suffered from an abdominal injury and the effects of a concussion earlier in the season.

"Confidence has been the main key," said McKenzie, who's averaging 12 points in the past six games. "I've had a lot more confidence in every aspect of the game."

Oklahoma has also flourished with its new 2-3 zone defense, which Sampson quickly implemented after the Sooners' four-game losing streak.

Since then, Oklahoma has limited opponents to 39-percent shooting and forced an average of 16 turnovers a game.

Sampson said the change to the zone - usually the source of disdain for defensive-minded coaches - was made out of necessity.

"If you watched us play man-to-man, you'd know why we play zone," Sampson quipped.