The Cyclones went into Tuesday night with a focus on the seniors, who were playing their final home game, and they exited it with another win. 

Iowa State (20-9, 12-5 Big 12) grabbed its sixth-straight victory, beating Oklahoma State (20-10, 9-8 Big 12) 86-83 at Hilton Coliseum to pull even closer to a second place finish in the Big 12. The Cyclones now sit all alone in second place, one spot ahead of West Virginia, in the Big 12 with a road game against the Mountaineers on Friday. 

The first half went exactly as advertised between the two teams on a hot streak. 

The Cyclones first basket on Senior Night came via a 3-pointer from senior Matt Thomas, who ended the first half with a game-high 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting. The four starting seniors — Thomas, Monte Morris, Naz Mitrou-Long and Deonte Burton — accounted for 36 of Iowa State’s 40 points in the first 20 minutes. 

But every time the Cyclones tried to go on a run, the Cowboys answered with a  bucket of their own. Iowa State managed to overcome Oklahoma State’s 48-percent shooting to lead 40-39 at halftime. 

Thomas continued his hot shooting into the second half. After the Cowboys rattled off seven-straight points, Thomas hit a 3-pointer to stop the run. He made two more, as the Cyclones started to hit their groove, taking a 61-51 with over 10 minutes to play. 

The Cowboys weren’t going away easily. They started to claw back and went on a 7-0 run with over seven minutes remaining to pull within four. But the Cyclones were able to fend them off for a win on Senior Night.