The Lowdown

On the shoulder of Georges Niang and Melvin Ejim, No. 16 Iowa State defeated No. 23 Oklahoma 81-75. 

The Cyclones and Sooners were tied up at half 46-all before the Cyclones went on a 16-6 run from the 15:27 mark to the 8:44 mark to put them ahead 62-52. The Sooners stormed back in huge part to sophomore Buddy Hield who scored a game-high 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting and was 5-of-8 from behind the arc. 

Iowa State iced the game away down the stretch, breaking a press and hitting 3-of-4 free throws to finish it. 

Niang finished the game with a career-high 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting and hit three 3-pointers. Melvin Ejim added 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting and 16 rebounds. 

Turning Point

With exactly one minute left in the game, Iowa State led Oklahoma 73-70. Georges Niang caught a pass on the left wing and drained his third 3-pointer of the game, and put Iowa State ahead 76-70, forcing Oklahoma into a fouling position.

X Factor

Melvin Ejim — The senior tallied his 28th double-double of his his career, adding 22 points and 16 rebounds on 7-of-15 shooting. 

By The Numbers

28 — Today marked the 28th career double-double for Melvin Ejim. He finished the game with 22 points on 7-15 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds. 

27 — Georges Niang finished today’s game with a career-high 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and hit three 3-pointers. 

1 — Freshman point guard Monte Morris tallied his first start as a Cyclone and tallied 12 points on an efficient 3-of-5 shooting, hitting two triples and making all four of his free throws, including two at the end of the game to make it a two score game.