Oklahoma State University Athletics
Game Notes - Cowboys Travel To Iowa State
January 04, 2015 | Cowboy Basketball
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Up Next for Oklahoma State Cowboy Basketball
at No. 12/12 Iowa State
Jan. 6, 2015 ► 8 p.m. CT ► Hilton Coliseum (14,384 capacity)
TV: ESPN2 (Dave Flemming and Miles Simon)
In Stillwater - Suddenlink 32/232, DirecTV 209, Dish 144, U-verse 606
In OKC - Cox 28/721, DirecTV 209, Dish 144, U-verse 606/1606
In Tulsa - Cox 26/721, DirecTV 209, Dish 144, U-verse 602
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network (Dave Hunziker & John Holcomb)
Satellite Radio: Sirius 92/XM 199 (Iowa State feed)
Internet Radio: http://okla.st/osutunein
Live Stats: okstate.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Basics
The Oklahoma State men's basketball team (11-2 overall; 1-0 Big 12) travels to Ames to take on No. 12 Iowa State (10-2 overall; 0-0 Big 12) at 8 p.m. CT on Tuesday in Hilton Coliseum.
On the Air
The game will be televised by ESPN2 with Dave Flemming and Miles Simon calling the action. The game can be heard on the Cowboy Radio Network with Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb on the call.
Oklahoma State From a Distance
After wrapping up the non-conference portion of the schedule with a 10-2 record, Oklahoma State topped Kansas State by a 61-47 margin in its Big 12 opener last Saturday. The Cowboys have won four of their last five, with three of those four wins coming at Memphis, over Missouri in front of a pro-Tiger crowd at the Sprint Center in Kansas City and over Kansas State.
Defense has been at the core of OSU's success to this point, as the Cowboys have limited the opposition to 58.3 points per game on 36.9 percent shooting from the field. The Pokes average 9.5 steals per game and force an average of 15.3 turnovers per game. Offensively, no Big 12 team has shot more three-pointers than OSU, who has attempted 284 treys through its first 13 games.
Iowa State From a Distance
Sitting at 10-2 overall, Iowa State has wins over Alabama, Arkansas and Iowa, among others. The Cyclones' two losses came at the hands of the same two teams who beat Oklahoma State - Maryland and South Carolina. Iowa State lost a 64-60 decision to the Gamecocks in Brooklyn last Saturday in its most recent outing.
The Cyclones distribute the ball well, use the three-pointer as an effective weapon and don't commit a lot of turnovers. ISU ranks in the top five nationally with 18.9 assists per game and a 1.64 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Cyclones lead the Big 12 in field goal percentage, scoring offense, fewest turnovers committed and three-point field goals made.
Iowa State has a balanced scoring attack that features six players who average double figures. Georges Niang and Bryce Dejean-Jones top the Cyclones in scoring and Monté Morris sports a remarkable 5.73 assist-to-turnover ratio that leads the nation.
Veteran Squads
Both Oklahoma State and Iowa State feature veteran-laden lineups, with the Cowboys' probable starting five including three seniors and two juniors and the Cyclones probable starting five including two juniors and two seniors.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
► Mark the 16th time that OSU has beaten an opponent ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press poll since Travis Ford took over as head coach in 2008-09.
► Mark OSU's third road win over a ranked opponent under Travis Ford. The previous two were a 73-69 victory at No. 10 Kansas State in 2010 and an 85-80 triumph at No. 2 Kansas in 2013.
► Improve the Cowboys to 2-0 in Big 12 play, marking the first time since the 2004-05 season that OSU has won its first two Big 12 games.
► Improve Oklahoma State to 64-56 all-time over Iowa State.
► Snap Iowa State's three-game winning streak over the Cowboys. OSU's last win over the Cyclones was a 78-76 victory in 2013.
► Mark the Cowboys first win over Iowa State in Ames since a 69-64 victory in 2010.
Streaks and Trends Entering the Iowa State Game
► None of Oklahoma State's last five opponents has had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio when facing the Cowboys. In fact, only two opponents have managed a positive assist-to-turnover ratio against OSU this season (North Texas and South Carolina).
► Oklahoma State is 54-3 in its last 57 games when holding its opponent under 60 points.
► Phil Forte has scored 20 or more points in each of his last two games (21 vs. Missouri, 20 vs. Kansas State). During that span, he has converted on 14-of-24 field goal attempts (.583 pct.) and 6-of-12 three-point field goal attempts (.500 pct.)
► Le'Bryan Nash has scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games (all of his games this season).
► Phil Forte has scored in double figures in 12 of his 13 games this year and 21 of his last 23 games, dating back to last season.
► Anthony Hickey has at least one steal in 12 of 13 games this year.
► Michael Cobbins has blocked 10 shots in his last four games (2.5 per game).
► OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 465 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
► Le'Bryan Nash has started in his last 66 games - the 17th-longest streak in school history.
► Phil Forte has made at least one three-pointer in 18-straight games and 25 of his last 26 contests.
The Series
Oklahoma State owns a 63-56 all-time series advantage over Iowa State, but the Cyclones are 36-14 against the Cowboys when playing in Ames. OSU is 6-4 against Iowa State under coach Travis Ford.
Last Time Out - Oklahoma State 61, Kansas State 47
Phil Forte scored 20 points - seven of those during a decisive seven-minute stretch in the second half - and Oklahoma State kicked off the Big 12 Conference schedule with a 61-47 victory over Kansas State. Le'Bryan Nash scored 11 points and had six rebounds for the Cowboys (11-2, 1-0 Big 12).
Thomas Gipson scored 14 points to lead Kansas State (7-7, 0-1), which lost its third straight contest.
Trailing, 29-27, at halftime, Oklahoma State made a strong push early in the second half, going on a game-changing 25-4 run that included 15-straight points. The Cowboys built up a 54-37 lead after Jeff Newberry connected on a three from the left baseline with 11:16 to go. The game hadn't seen more than a six-point lead before OSU's run.
During that dominating stretch, Anthony Hickey scored seven consecutive points for the Cowboys and Newberry also notched seven, including two free throws after he was knocked to the floor with a flagrant foul by K-State's Malek Harris with 15:51 remaining.
Dynamic Duo
There are several productive scoring duos throughout the Big 12 Conference, but none packs a more explosive 1-2 punch than Oklahoma State's Le'Bryan Nash and Phil Forte. In fact, Nash and Forte are the top two scorers in the league overall, with both players going for 17.3 points per game.
The Nash-Forte duo combines for 33.3 points per game. Oklahoma's Buddy Hield and Isaiah Cousins average 29.5 points per game to rank second and Iowa State's combo of Georges Niang and Bryce Dejean-Jones is third with 28.5 points per game.
For the Cowboy duo, it's a contrast of styles, with the 6-foot-7 Nash doing the majority of his damage inside and at the free-throw line, where he leads the Big 12 and ranks in the top 10 nationally in both free throws made and free throws attempted. In Forte, the Cowboys have a proficient three-point shooter who has added the ability to get to the line into his game, evidenced by the fact that he's third in the Big 12 in free throws made. Forte's 225 total points scored lead the Big 12 this season.
Nash has scored in double figures in all 10 games he has played this season, including four 20-plus point efforts, while Forte has hit double digits in 10 of 11 games, poured in a career-high 32 points earlier this month against North Texas and has gone for 20 or more points in four games this season.
Either Nash or Forte has led OSU in scoring in every game this season, with Nash pacing the Cowboys eight times and Forte leading the way on six occasions.
