ISU's Comeback Bid Falls Short, 68-63

Thursday, March 8

Oklahoma City, Okla.

11:30 AM

Iowa State

15-16, 6-10

Oklahoma

16-14, 6-10

Team	1	2	F
Oklahoma	35	33	68
Iowa State	23	40	63

ISU's Comeback Bid Falls Short, 68-63

03.08.2007 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Iowa State University

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. ? The Iowa State basketball team came back from a 14-point second half deficit to lead the Oklahoma Sooners, but fell 68-63, in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament Thursday afternoon at the Ford Center.

The Cyclones took a 56-55 lead with four and a half minute to go on a layup by Corey McIntosh, but it would be Iowa State's only lead of the contest as Oklahoma's Nate Carter answered with a putback off an offensive board on the next possession. Mike Taylor missed a three-point attempt in an effort to regain the ISU lead and OU's David Godbold drained a long-range attempt on the other end to push the margin to four, 60-56, with two and a half minutes remaining.

Iowa State cut the margin back to three points, 66-63, on a Dodie Dunson 3-pointer with six seconds left, but Carter hit a pair of free throws for OU and the Sooners stole the ISU inbounds pass to clinch the victory.

“As has been the case many times this year, these guys didn't quit,” ISU head coach Greg McDermott said. “We didn't play very good basketball in the first half, but Oklahoma had a lot to do with that. We got into a little bit of foul trouble and Nate Carter got going. We competed in the second half and put our self in position to win, but Oklahoma just made a few more plays in the end.”

With seven treys in the contest, Iowa State reset its single-season record for 3-pointers with 203 on the campaign. The Cyclones shot 51.9 percent in the second period, while hitting at a 42.9 percent clip for the game. Oklahoma outrebounded ISU, 32-29, but the Cyclones held the Sooners to just 32 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes after allowing them to hit 50 percent from the field in the first half.

The Cyclones dropped to 15-16 on the season, while Oklahoma improved to 16-14 and advanced to face Kansas, the top seed, on Friday. Taylor led Iowa State with 18 points, including going 4-of-10 from 3-point range. Wesley Johnson had 11 points and five boards, while Dunson turned in 10 for the Cyclones. Four Sooners finished in double figures, led by Carter's 22 points and nine rebounds.

Oklahoma took a 12-point lead, 35-23, into the lockerroom after freshman Bobby Maze hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Oklahoma got out to 9-2 start, with scoring from three different players, before Iowa State was able to cut the deficit to two, 11-9, on free throws by Dunson.

Taylor hit a trey to pull the Cyclones within one, 13-12, and Dunson hit a trey to make it 18-17, but the Sooners went on a 9-0 run, earning all nine points on free throws, to go ahead 27-17. The two teams exchanged baskets the rest of the half, capped by OU's three-pointer at the buzzer.

Oklahoma's margin grew to 14, 39-25, to start the second half, before the Cyclones went on a 12-3 run to cut the OU lead to three, 42-39, including Hubalek's first six points of the game.

Notes

-Michael Taylor extended his school record three-point streak to 27 consecutive games.

-Iowa State broke the school record for single-season three-pointers with 203 after hitting seven in the game against Oklahoma.

-Wes Johnson had five rebounds to give him 244 for the season.

-Mike Taylor moved into 13^th place on the ISU career chart with 77 3-pointers, passing Brian Pearson and Mike Born.

-It was Dodie Dunson's first double-digit scoring effort since scoring 11 at Oklahoma State on Jan. 27.

-Corey McIntosh had his fourth game with five assists this season and the first time he has had five assists without committing a turnover since Nov. 19 vs. Norfolk State.

-The Cyclones tied a season low for steals with just one.