Hitting 15 3-pointers – nine in the first half – would be enough for Iowa State to overcome only three points from leading scorer Royce White as the Cyclones defeated Oklahoma on the road, 77-70.

The Lowdown

Without a bucket from sophomore forward Royce White until a dunk with 1:41 left in the game, the Cyclones (17-6, 7-3 Big 12) scored 45 of their 77 points on 3-pointers giving the Sooners (13-9, 3-7 Big 12) fits on the perimeter all night.

Iowa State appeared in control of the game as it took a 50-40 lead with 14:07 to play, but the Sooners battled back, tying the game at 56-56 six and a half minutes later.

A 10-3 run highlighted by a dunk and layup by sophomore forward Melvin Ejim, gave the Cyclones a 66-59 advantage with under five minutes to play.

The Sooners cut the ISU lead to 73-70 before being forced to foul senior guard Scott Christopherson, a 90 percent free throw shooter. The LaCrosse, Wis. native stepped to the line and made both to give the Cyclones a 75-70 lead with under 30 seconds to play. A missed OU 3-pointer on the other end and a pair of free throws by Ejim gave Iowa State enough to secure their third-straight win in conference play.

The Cyclones took a 25-22 lead to start the game, knocking down seven of its first 10 shots from beyond the arc. The Sooners battled back to take a 36-35 lead with 1:20 to play in the first half, but junior guard Chris Babb drained a 3-pointer; Iowa State’s tenth of the first half, to take a 38-36 advantage into the break.

Turning Point

With the game tied at 56-56, Iowa State got a 3-pointer from Babb, his fourth of the game, to spark a 10-3 run that gave the Cyclones a 66-57 lead with 4:37 remaining in the game. The Sooners would cut the ISU lead down to three twice more in the final four minutes but the Cyclones were able to make their free throws late and hold on for the seven-point victory.

X Factor

ISU forward Melvin Ejim

The 6’6 sophomore poured in a season-high 21 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in the ISU win. Ejim, who entered the game averaging 8.3 points per game, has scored 12 or more points in four of his last five games.

By the numbers

3: points scored by White, his fewest point total since Dec. 31 against Mississippi Valley State when he played only three minutes due to illness and did not score.

6: ISU players with a made 3-pointer, the fourth time the Cyclones have had that many players make a shot from beyond the arc. Iowa State is 4-0 in those games.

7: consecutive losses for Iowa State in Norman heading into Saturday, dating back to 1996.

10: 3-pointers made by Iowa State in the first half. The Cyclones have made 10 or more 3s in only nine of 22 games this season.

15: points scored on 3-pointers to start the game for the Cyclones. Christopherson and Babb each made two and senior guard Chris Allen hit another.

15: 3-pointers made by Iowa State in the game, the highest total for the Cyclones in a conference game ever. The 15 made 3’s is second all-time behind the team’s 16 earlier this season against Northern Colorado on November 22.

27: points scored by OU forward Andrew Fitzgerald, a season-high.

Up next for Iowa State

The Cyclones will travel back to the Sooner state on Wednesday when they’ll take on Oklahoma State in Stillwater. The Cowboys (11-12, 4-6 Big 12) fell to No. 6 Baylor, 64-60 on Saturday. Iowa State edged Oklahoma State back on January 18 as a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Christopherson gave the Cyclones a 71-68 home win.