OU basketball upsets No. 23 Iowa State 61-50 on road

Oklahoma (14-15, 4-12 Big 12) upset No. 23 Iowa State (17-11, 8-8) 61-50 Saturday in Ames.

OU led a strong defensive effort to win the game. The Sooners limited Iowa State to a 31% total from the field and a 26.7% mark from 3-point range, compared to OU’s 46.3% from the field and 43.5% 3-point total.

Oklahoma’s defensive effort was shown particularly in the second half when ISU shot 7 for 26 from the field and 2 for 9 from 3-point range. The Sooners held the Cyclones to eight points in the paint after converting 14 points inside during the first half.

Iowa State guard Jaren Holmes, the Cyclones’ leading scorer this season, was limited to eight points on 4-for-14 shooting. Forward Gabe Kalscheur finished with 12 points and shot 4 for 11 from the field.

Senior forward Jacob Groves led OU with 16 points and four 3-point makes. Senior guard Grant Sherfield dropped 10 points and senior forward Tanner Groves scored nine points

Freshman guard Milos Uzan finished with seven points and a team-high seven assists.

Here are two more takeaways from OU’s win:

Sooners offense surges in second half

After starting the first half slow, Oklahoma opened the second half on a 17-2 run.

Senior forward Tanner Groves sank a 3-point shot to give OU a 31-30 lead with 18:02 remaining, its first lead of the contest. Following that, the Sooners scored 11 points to take a 10-point lead.

Oklahoma used hot shooting to claw back from a five-point halftime deficit. It opened the second half 6 for 9 from the field and 5 for 7 from 3-point range.

The Sooners maintained their hot start, finishing the rest of the half shooting 7-for-14 from the field and 2-for-6 from the 3-point line. Sherfield found eight of his 10 overall points during the period, as well.

OU shot a game-high 56.5% from the field in the second half.

Groves, Joe Bamisile lead bench charge

Senior forward Jacob Groves and junior guard Joe Bamisile led a dynamic charge off the bench.

Groves and Bamisile helped OU weather a first-half shooting slump. They combined to score 10 of OU’s 23 first-half points, as the Sooners entered halftime down 28-23 to Iowa State.

Groves scored 11 points in the second half and made three 3-pointers, finishing with a team-high 16 points.

Bamisile played two minutes in the second half, collecting one steal. The junior guard finished with five points and two blocks, making an impact on both ends of the floor.

Next, OU will face No. 14 Kansas State (21-7, 9-6) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Manhattan.