Iowa State exploded on offense the night January 15, scoring 82 points and stopping a top-25 ranked Oklahoma squad from taking the lead for a single second of the game.

No. 24 Iowa State defeated No. 16 Oklahoma, 82-61 on Tuesday night at Hilton Coliseum to give the Sooners their first conference loss of the season. ISU coach Bill Fennelly believes the win is the best his team has played all season.

“Teams are built on people doing things when they need them and tonight it was [forward] Hallie [Christofferson], [point guard] Nikki Moody and [guard Nicole] Kidd [Blaskowsky] at the time we absolutely needed them,” Fennelly said.

The Cyclones (13-2, 4-1 Big 12) took a 6-0 lead after the first four minutes, before allowing the Sooners (14-3, 4-1 Big 12) to make a comeback with two quick 3-pointers and tie the ball game at six.

At the 12:13 mark of the first half, Blaskowsky attempted a 3-pointer and dropped a quick two-point basket, giving Iowa State an 11-6 advantage.

Iowa State changed into a three-guard offense early in the game to give Oklahoma another look with Blaskowsky subbing in for center Anna Prins.

“I think it kind of switched up their defensive game plan, switching out the post,” Blaskowsky said. “Coach is always getting on me about moving my feet and playing defense and tonight I felt like was the night to actually step up and do something.”

Turnovers were a problem for the Cyclones in the first half of the game, with the team recording 11, and taking a 34-28 lead into halftime after a buzzer-beater 3-pointer by Portia Durrett of Oklahoma.

Back-to-back 3’s by point guard Nikki Moody and Blaskowsky three minutes into the second half put Iowa State ahead, 47-32.

Blaskowsky ended the night with 17 points and eight rebounds while Moody earned a double-double with 20 points and a career high 13 assists.

“We knew that Oklahoma, every game they’ve played so far, they’ve come from behind and won a game,” Moody said. 

“We knew that when we got ahead, we needed to continue to push it. Once we started hitting shots, the crowd helped a lot.”

Oklahoma is the first ranked team Iowa State has defeated this season, with another opportunity for a win against a ranked team when the Cyclones travel to Stillwater, Okla., on Sunday to play No. 17 Oklahoma State.

“The thing that we’ve talked about with our team, every single day, whatever is next is the most important thing in your life,” Fennelly said. 

“Before the game we said the next 40 minutes is the most important thing in your life and when it’s over, we move on. If you can do that and really care about the other person, that’s a team.”