OKLAHOMA CITY – It seemed to be a fitting end to a roller-coaster season.

The ISU men’s basketball team overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to briefly take the lead late in the second half, but a four-minute scoring drought doomed the Cyclones in their lone Big 12 Tournament game Thursday at the Ford Center. Iowa State lost its first-round match against No. 9 seed Oklahoma, 68-63.

With the loss, Iowa State falls to 15-16, and with an National Invitation Tournament bid highly unlikely, the Cyclones’ season is most likely over.

After overcoming a dismal first half, the Cyclones recovered to take the lead with just over four minutes left in the contest, but again, the rock wouldn’t fall, and Iowa State’s slim lead evaporated – along with its season.

Still, ISU coach Greg McDermott was pleased with how his team was able to turn a potential blowout into an exciting contest.

“These guys didn’t quit,” McDermott said. “That’s been a theme with this group this season. We didn’t play very good basketball in the first half, Oklahoma had a lot to do with that.”

With ISU stars Wesley Johnson and Jiri Hubalek held scoreless and in foul trouble in the first half, the Cyclones struggled to put points on the board. Oklahoma (16-14) entered halftime with a commanding 12-point lead, and things looked like they would get ugly in a hurry.

Johnson came alive, though, dropping 11 points in the second half. Mike Taylor led the Cyclones with 18 points and Hubalek – who had a career night against Oklahoma earlier this season – finished with just eight points.

“Part of their struggles was their foul trouble, not being in the game because of their foul trouble,” McDermott said. “We got Jiri some touches, he just didn’t finish the plays down low.”

Free throws and fouls were the obvious difference, as the Sooners made more free throws than Iowa State even attempted, going 27-for-34. Iowa State was 14-for-19 from the charity stripe.

And, unfortunately for the Cyclones, when the final horn sounded, the trend of highs and lows was maintained.

“It was the story of our season, this game we played today,” Taylor said. “There were a lot of ups and downs, but we put ourselves in a position to win.”

In the end, though, the Sooners’ clutch free throw shooting and shot selection won the game, propelling them into the second round against top-seeded, regular season champion Kansas.

The Cyclones, on the other hand, earned a trip back to Ames earlier than they had hoped.

“It is real tough, but we never gave up,” Taylor said. “We just gave it our all and left everything out there on the floor.”