The Oklahoma State basketball team lost a hard fought game to the no. 24 Iowa State Cyclones 86-83 last night at Hilton Coliseum.
The Oklahoma State basketball team lost in heartbreaking fashion to the team now firmly seeded in second for the Big 12 Tournament. The no. 24 ranked Iowa State Cyclones defeated the Cowboys at Hilton Coliseum last night 86-83. ISU was favored by three points entering the matchup, so the game went according to script.
Senior shooting guard Phil Forte came very close to getting his first career victory on the road against the Clones. However, his 12 points and four rebound effort was not enough to power the Cowboys to a win.
Sophomore point guard Jawun Evans and senior forward Leyton Hammonds led the way for the Cowboys. Evans finished the night with 29 points, six assists, and four rebounds. Meanwhile, Hammonds finished with 19 points and four rebounds.
Senior forward Mitchell Solomon dealt with foul trouble once again as he played only 21 minutes. Solomon still posted a solid stat line with eight points, eight rebounds, and two blocks.
Junior forward Jeffrey Carroll was the only Cowboy to rebound in double figures with 10 boards. However, Carroll had a relatively quiet night scoring with only seven points in 38 minutes on the floor.
It was the first loss in the last six games for head coach Brad Underwood and the Cowboys last night. However, losing by three points to a team like ISU, on the road no less, won’t hurt OK State’s resume too much. There’s a large possibility that the Clones could meet the Cowboys in the Big 12 Tournament as well.
OK State will claim the five seed in the Big 12 Tournament, facing either the Baylor Bears or West Virginia Mountaineers. The Cowboys lost three of four games to BU and WVU this season.
Next: Bleacher Report ranks Cowboy football 5th before Spring Game
Up next for the Pokes is a meeting with the no. 1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday, March 4. OK State owns a four-game home winning streak against the Jayhawks at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. It’s a great chance for OK State to build momentum entering the Big 12 Tournament and to add to their resume ahead of Selection Sunday.