AMES, Iowa (AP) — Demarion Watson hit all seven of his field goal attempts for a career-best 15 points and also had nine rebounds to lead No. 8 Iowa State to a 58-45 win over Oklahoma on Wednesday night.
Watson, who came off the bench, received an ovation from the crowd in the closing moments and an embrace from coach T.J. Otzelberger.
“I told him how proud of him I was and how impactful he was on us winning the game,” Otzelberger said. “And I wanted him to look around and just see 14,000 people who appreciated the effort he gave, the energy he had and that he should feel great about it.”
Curtis Jones added 11 points as the Cyclones (22-6, 11-4 Big 12) won their 17th straight home game and for the sixth time in their last seven games overall, despite shooting just 33%.
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“Obviously, it was not pretty at all,” Jones said. “It was ugly, but we were able to string together stops, which is something we’ve been continuing to do as conference play goes on.”
Rivaldo Soares had nine points to lead the Sooners (19-9, 7-8), who have lost three of their last four.
Oklahoma also shot 33% and finished with just 7 second-chance points.
“I thought Watson was a difference maker,” Sooners coach Porter Moser said. “I thought he gave them a tremendous lift.”
The Cyclones seized control of a sloppy contest with a 15-4 run midway through the second half.
Jones hit a 3-pointer from the left wing that put Iowa State ahead 40-28 with 13:02 left to play. Back-to-back baskets by Watson extended the margin to 46-33.
“We didn’t have a lot of energy in the first half,” said Watson. “So, I thought it was my job to bring energy, do what I do best.”
Watson put the game out of reach with a 3-pointer that made it 52-39 with 4:01 remaining.
“I was in a good rhythm,” he said. “So, when the opportunity came, just knock it down.”
Oklahoma missed 14 of its first 15 3-point attempts and finished 3 of 17 from long range.
“You’ve got to make some threes to beat Iowa State,” Moser said. “Because they’re so good at protecting the rim.”
Iowa State wasn’t much better, shooting 4 of 16 from 3-point range.
Neither team could make shots early, starting out a combined 6 of 32.
Milos Uzan’s layup gave Oklahoma a 20-16 lead. Iowa State hit just four of its first 29 shots but finished the first half with a flurry as a floater by Jones and a jumper by Tamin Lipsey sparked a 9-0 run for a 25-20 halftime lead.
The Cyclones finished with a 32-13 edge in bench scoring.
“This time of the year, depth is really important,” Otzelberger said. “And having guys who can come in and have that type of impact is huge.”
BIG PICTURE
The game was the last scheduled meeting between Iowa State and Oklahoma, as the Sooners are headed for the Southeastern Conference next season. Oklahoma has a 123-94 lead in the overall series. In 117 seasons of basketball, the Cyclones have played Oklahoma in 102 of them.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma: Hosts No. 1 Houston on Saturday.
Iowa State: Is at Central Florida on Saturday.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
