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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Monte Morris leads No. 23 Iowa State past Oklahoma State in Big 12 tourney

Iowa State forward Darrell Bowie (10) shoots while guarded by Oklahoma State guard Davon Dillard (24) during second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Mo., Thursday, March 9, 2017. Iowa State defeated Oklahoma State 92-83. (Orlin Wagner / Associated Press)
By Dave Skretta Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Monte Morris was an assist shy of the second triple-double in Big 12 Tournament history, leading No. 23 Iowa State to a 92-83 victory over Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals Thursday.

Morris finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the fourth-seeded Cyclones (21-10), who will carry their late-season season momentum into a semifinal matchup with No. 1 Kansas or TCU on Friday.

Deonte Burton added 17 points and 10 rebounds, Naz Mitrou-Long had 14 points and Darrell Bowie had 13 for Iowa State, which has won seven of its last eight. The only defeat was to No. 11 West Virginia.

Juwan Evans poured in 29 points as he tried to keep the Cowboys (21-11) afloat. But except for his backcourt mate Jeffrey Carroll, who had 21 points, the sophomore guard didn’t get much help. The result was the fifth-seeded Cowboys’ 10th straight loss to the Cyclones.

Still, their matchup to kick-off the quarterfinals was entertaining from start to finish, the shot clock rarely a factor as the teams raced up and down the court during a frenetic 40 minutes.

Iowa State was clinging to a 62-57 lead with about 10 minutes left when the intensity finally boiled over. Morris was tied up near midcourt and several players got into a shoving match, and the Cowboys’ Brandon Averette and the Cyclones’ Donovan Jackson were hit with technical fouls.

The Cyclones retained possession and Morris quickly scored, beginning a brief charge that gave the 2014 and ‘15 tournament champions a cushion that they were never in danger of losing.

Down the stretch, the only question was whether Morris would get one more assist.

He had the ball in his hands on a couple of possessions, and a couple fans seated courtside were aware of his stat line, yelling for him to get one more assist. But the Cowboys were quick to foul and Morris wound up short of his second career triple-double. Texas Tech’s Kasib Powell had the only one in Big 12 Tournament play against Texas in 2003.

BIG PICTURE

Oklahoma State had won 10 of its last 13 games after losing six straight to start Big 12 play, and that should be enough to get the Cowboys into the NCAA Tournament. But the biggest strike against them is their record against Top 25 foes, which dropped to 1-8.

Iowa State relied on its usual barrage of 3-pointers, but also a massive crowd advantage. Cyclones fans always paint the Sprint Center red during the tournament, even for an early tipoff.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State awaits its fate on Selection Sunday.

Iowa State prepares for the semifinals on Friday night.