By Jordan Wickstrom

Daily Staff Writer

It has been a long time coming, but the No. 21 Cyclones can say they walked off the court against Oklahoma a winner.

With a mere one win against the No. 11 Sooners since 2004, it is no secret the past few seasons have been rough for the Cyclones against Oklahoma.

“We’ve had a lot of trouble beating Oklahoma for a lot of reasons,” said coach Bill Fennelly. “When you play Oklahoma you play a team that’s well coached, very talented and the definition of class and I think it’s not just winning a game against a really good team, it’s winning a game against people who [play the game] the right way.”

Offensively the Cyclones could not have asked for a better first half. Iowa State made up for its 37.5 field goal percentage by shooting 54.5 from beyond the arc, making six of its 11 3-point attempts.

Despite the hot shooting from 3-point range, it was obvious the Cyclones would not need the three-point shot in the second half. With three players entering the second half in foul trouble, Oklahoma struggled to find the right match up against freshman center Anna Prins.

“[Oklahoma’s] post players were in foul trouble so obviously it was a key to take it to them,” Prins said.

The 6–foot–7–on freshman had 15 points, her highest point total in conference play this season. Prins did make some mistakes during the game, however, the way she played in the post against some of Oklahoma’s bigger players received praise from Fennelly.

“[Prins] had 15 points but there were shots she needs to finish better. She’s got to rebound the ball a little bit better, but she’s impacting the success of our team and giving teams someone they have to guard around the block,” Fennelly said.

Fouls also cost the Cyclones in the second half. Lacey and Prins both had two fouls entering the second half. However, the brief time Lacey and Prins spent on the bench gave other Cyclones the opportunity to step up when needed.

Junior guard Kelsey Bolte scored nine of her 15 points in the second half, including a clutch three-point shot with 2:56 remaining that gave the Cyclones a nine point lead and seemingly put the game out of reach for the exhausted Sooners.

“We were really excited that I made the shot but you kind of have to forget about that right away and play defense because [Oklahoma] can score points really fast,” Bolte said.

The last two minutes consisted of a free throw shooting contest for the Cyclones. Oklahoma sent the Cyclones to the charity stripe eight times within the last two minutes and Iowa State converted on six of its attempts. While it was not their best day at the line, Fennelly was still pleased with the way the Cyclones shot free throws when it mattered most.

“We made just enough where it got [the lead] from six to seven or three to four, there was always a free throw that got us to the next possession,” Fennelly said. “71 percent is okay,  you’d like to see it a little bit higher but overall — especially down the stretch — we didn’t miss very many.”

Iowa State will look to continue its winning ways at Kansas State on Sunday.