It was a game of firsts Saturday when Iowa State fell to Oklahoma State 88-67.

The Cyclones dropped their first game at home, allowed the highest visiting team field goal percentage this season and for the first time lost two straight Big 12 games.

Poor defense plagued Iowa State — the No. 13 Cowboys scored nearly at will.

“Obviously, I thought our defense had to be a lot better than it was,” ISU head coach Wayne Morgan said. “Anytime an opponent shoots [in excess of 60 percent], obviously your defense was not good.”

Oklahoma State’s shooting arsenal was armed by junior guard John Lucas’ 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field and 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point range.

“Lucas is a very good player,” Morgan said. “Oklahoma State was very fortunate to have the opportunity to get him after he left Baylor. He makes a big difference for their team.”

Iowa State trailed 39-30 at halftime and fell behind by as many as 14 points with 13 minutes remaining in the game. Five minutes later, Jake Sullivan buried a 3-pointer to cut the margin to 61-55.

The crowd roared, but not for long. It was the closest Iowa State would come for the rest of the game as Lucas bombed a 3-pointer and halted the Cyclone momentum.

“That killed us,” Sullivan said. “That was a possession of the game where, [if] we get a stop there and come back; it’s a whole different ballgame.”

Sullivan led the Cyclones, scoring 21 points, shooting 7-for-14 from the floor and making 5-of-10 3-pointers. Freshman Curtis Stinson added 19 points and snagged seven rebounds.

“We know we have to play defense better and tougher than we did today,” Stinson said.

Oklahoma State (17-2, 7-1 Big 12) tallied 36 points on 18 lay-ups, mostly after decimating the Cyclone half-court press.

“We’ve had two hot teams this week,” Sullivan said. “But our defense is not playing very well now.”

Free throw shooting kept Iowa State from mounting a comeback in the second half. The Cyclones shot a meager 47 percent from the charity stripe.

“We shoot free throws every day, and we work at it,” Morgan said. “This is going to sound like whatever, but I’ve observed that when you foul guys that can shoot, they make them. When you foul a guy that can’t shoot, they don’t make them.”

Falling to 13-6 overall and 4-4 in the Big 12, the Cyclones have to try to regroup after two losses in one week.

“We’re learning, and I’m learning,” Sullivan said. “I’m trying to lead this team and help these guys.”

The Cyclones will take their knowledge to Manhattan, Kan., Wednesday when they play Kansas State.

“It’s frustrating but hey, things like that happen,” Stinson said. “[We] just have to bounce back from them.”

Jefferson again absent

Senior guard and co-captain Marcus Jefferson was not at Saturday’s game. Morgan issued a statement Friday saying he wouldn’t talk about Jefferson’s status until it changed.

“Marcus Jefferson is currently not with the men’s basketball team as he addresses some personal issues,” the statement said. “At this particular time, we support Marcus and want to help him in any way possible.”