No. 7 Oklahoma State 81

No. 10 Iowa State 67

OKLAHOMA CITY – It wasn’t a road game. It only felt like it.

Iowa State fought through a largely orange-clad crowd in an 81-67 loss to Oklahoma State on Wednesday, taking on a Cowboy team that was only about 65 away miles from campus.

Iowa State, 0-16 in Big 12 road games in the past two years, found itself once again fighting the ‘home’ fans.

“Last time we played in Oklahoma City [two years ago] we played Oklahoma,” ISU coach Greg McDermott said with a smirk. “That’s kind of the way things have gone.”

Iowa State led by three at halftime and fought back to a tie at 50 all with 12:20 left.  That’s when it started to look like every other road game this season.

OSU guard Obi Muoneli, who came off the bench to score 18 points, took the game in his hand during the next few minutes. He hit two 3-pointers and a jumper to jump-start Oklahoma State to a six point lead, then created a play that seemed to be a microcosm of Iowa State’s season.

Muonelo grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer, giving a second-chance opportunity for the Cowboys that led to a Moses Marshall lay-up and a 62-54 lead.

Iowa State would not get closer than five points the rest of the way.

McDermott saw that and the sequence leading up to that as a point that changed the game, including turnovers on three straight possessions leading up to the 50-50 tie.

“There was really an opportunity there for us, I think, to make a move,” McDermott said.

Instead, it was Muonelo and the Cowboys who seized the crowd and seized control of the game. Oklahoma State, the No. 1 scoring team in the Big 12, was held in check by an ISU zone defense in the first half, but broke it in the second half with 55.6 percent shooting.

Having the home crowd didn’t hurt, Muonelo said.

“Definitely, our crowd was huge for us today. Sometimes we get the ball on offense, they start getting loud and clapping,” Muonelo said. “I think that gives us confidence to go get a basket.”

And they did get baskets. What looked like a potentially strong defensive effort in the first half for the Cyclones turned into 46 second-half points.

The Cyclones, meanwhile, didn’t seem to let the crowd affect them in the first half, but did show the same symptoms they have shown on the road all year, playing on their heels for much of the second half. Iowa State was outscored 34-8 in the paint, gave up 11 offensive rebounds and 10 three-pointers.

“It felt like a road game, but I felt we did pretty well and we should have executed a little more, but that’s how it goes,” Craig Brackins said.

The Cyclones did get to the free-throw line 23 times, but missed eight of them, and even Bryan Petersen, an 89 percent free throw shooter, missed two in a row late in the game with the Cyclones down 10.

Brackins, the game’s leading scorer with 23 points, had only eight in the second half.

“It was difficult because in the first half I didn’t feel like they fully committed to a double team,” Brackins said. “In the second half they did. I had to watch my back every time I caught the ball.

It looked like a different outcome may be in store. Iowa State turned the ball over to start the second half and gave up a quick 5-0 run to surrender the lead. The Cyclones weathered the storm, keeping the game close until it started to slip in the final 10 minutes.

Role players made big shots to keep Iowa State in the game. Jamie Vanderbeken had 12 points, Lucca Staiger 11 and Diante Garrett 10, giving Iowa State confidence in the future to be able to back up Brackins.

“It is just like we knew we had a lot of good players here. It is just finding the rhythms and stuff,” Vanderbeken said. “I think we have a pretty good core coming in next year.”

As Oklahoma State will play in front of what should be a packed house on Thursday vs. rival Oklahoma, Iowa State will say goodbye to three seniors and look forward to next season.

“With the shooters and what Craig can do inside, I think we will be able to surprise a lot of people next year,” Vanderbeken said.