OU-Iowa State Stats/Notes/Quotes/Photos [SoonerSports.com]

[OUHoops]

Stats: http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/stats/2012-2013/03-02-12.html

Photos: http://www.soonersports.com/view.gal?id=136443

Notes: http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/030113aaa.html

Oklahoma Team Notes
Oklahoma tied an NCAA record for free throw makes without a miss (34) and moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Big 12 with an 86-69 win over Iowa State. OU improved to 19-9 overall and 10-6 in the Big 12 while the Cyclones fell to 19-10 and 9-7.

The game marked OU's senior day and the team's four seniors who suited up each scored in double figures. They combined for 65 of the Sooners' 86 points. Senior center Casey Arent did not suit up due to a knee injury.

Iowa State entered the game outrebounding its opponents by an average of 5.0 per game on the season to rank second in the Big 12, but the Sooners recorded a 36-27 glass advantage today. They limited ISU to just four offensive boards.

Today's game marked the seventh straight and 13th out of 16 in Big 12 play that OU outshot its opponent from the field. The Sooners shot .442 while Iowa State shot .431.

After committing 10 second-half turnovers at Texas on Wednesday (that led to 19 Longhorn points), OU committed a season-low five turnovers on the game today. Iowa State committed just nine.

With their 34-for-34 free throw performance, OU now claims four of the five best single-game free throw shooting percentages this season among Big 12 teams. The Sooners also shot 1.000 (14-for-14) vs. TCU, .947 vs. Texas A&M and .938 vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Just two other times in NCAA Division I history has a team attempted at least 34 free throws without a miss. UC-Irvine went 34-for-34 against Pacific on Feb. 21, 1981, and Samford went 34-for-34 against UCF on Dec. 20, 1990.

In its eight Big 12 home games, OU is shooting .868 from the free throw line (171-for-197).

The Sooners have scored at least 72 points in each of their last seven games and are averaging 82.0 during the span. They averaged 62.5 points over the six games immediately prior to the stretch.

OU is back in action Wednesday when it hosts West Virginia at 8 p.m. (ESPN2). The Sooners are already 2-0 against the Mountaineers this season.

Senior F Romero Osby
Osby scored a team-high 22 points on 6-for-11 field goal and 10-for-10 free throw shooting. He added a game-high nine rebounds as well as three assists and two blocks. Osby has led the team (or tied for the lead) in scoring in 11 of 16 conference games and has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 17 of the last 21 outings.

Senior G Sam Grooms
Grooms scored 19 points, his second-highest career total, and handed out a season-high-tying six assists while committing just one turnover in 31 minutes. Grooms was 7-for-13 from the field (his 13 attempts were a career high.

Senior G Steven Pledger
Pledger went 4-for-9 from 3-point range and scored 14 points. He passed Hollis Price on OU's career 3-pointers list and now stands in second place with 242 makes (Terry Evans holds school record with 259). Pledger is 22-for-44 (.500) from behind the arc over the last five games (averaging 18.2 ppg).

Senior F Andrew Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald scored 10 points off the bench, the fourth time he reached double figures this year and the second time this season against Iowa State (scored a team-high 12 in Ames on Feb. 4). He was 8-for-8 from the free throw line, with the eight makes setting a career high.

Junior F Amath M'Baye
M'Baye also scored in double figures with 11 points. He added four rebounds.

Quotes: http://www.soonersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/030113aab.html

Head Coach Lon Kruger |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Opening comment:
"We are really proud of our guys. I thought their ability to bounce back and play like they did today is a tribute to the leadership and the older guys, especially Roe [Osby]. After that disappointment on Wednesday Roe said, `OK guys, we are going to regroup and focus on the 32 good minutes and learn from the last seven.' I thought our guys really did that the last couple of days in practice. Roe has done that for us all year and obviously the other guys jump in there and follow his lead without hesitation. Good day for the seniors. I thought Sam [Grooms] played great and knocked down some jumpers there early and got us to a good start and took care of the ball. The guys moved the ball well as they have been doing. Again, [good] to beat a good Iowa State ball club, but even more important is having to be able to celebrate with the seniors on their day."

On OU's NCAA-record-tying 34-for-34 free throw performance:
"This has been a good free throw shooting team. That is extreme of course; they start making them and, like anything else, momentum builds and guys go up there expecting to make them. I didn't realize at the time that we didn't miss any and I don't think they did either. It's nice to see them get up there a shoot with confidence."

On bouncing back after losing to Texas:
"They recovered and have done a good job all year on focusing on the next game. You have to attribute that to the leadership of Roe [Osby] and the other guys. I thought Friday's practice was really sharp and really crisp. The players get over it a little more quickly than maybe fans and coaches do. But, they did a good job. They bounced back."

On the team's good practice habits:
"Every practice has been really good. Whether it's early December or one this week, they really don't change very much. The mood of practice, their effort and their intensity is pretty much the same throughout the year. I think that is why they have made progress and that is why they are playing their best basketball right now."

On if he thinks the win guarantees an NCAA Tournament berth:
"Oh, no. No. Whether we say it or not or think it or not -- I think the only healthy way is to approach the next one like we've got to have one more. After that one on Wednesday [at home vs. West Virginia], whether we win or lose, we will approach Saturday exactly the same way. There is no reason to think otherwise."

Senior F Romero Osby |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

On OU's NCAA-record-tying 34-for-34 free throw performance:
"We didn't really think about it. We want to make them all, but I hadn't realized we hadn't missed. I was just trying to focus on the final score."

On being in the same spot at Texas with eight minutes to go on Wednesday:
"That is funny because a couple of the Iowa State players were reminding me on the free throw line. It was just something that we wanted to make sure we didn't let happen to us again. Coach [Kruger] has really been on us about making every possession important - even if we are up 20 or down 20, we have to play the same way."

On the team's attitude in practice after the loss at Texas:
"We just wanted to be focused. Our practice wasn't long on Thursday since we just wanted to sharpen some things up. On Friday, we knew that it had to be a good practice in order to come out here and play against a good Iowa State team who thumped us up there. We just came to practice and our attitude was good and we were focused even though we were still feeling the effects of the Texas loss. We just wanted to practice hard and get ready for today."

On dealing with Iowa State's double-teaming down low:
"Our guys put up a lot of extra shots for situations when guys try to double down on me and the other big guys. The credit goes to our guards - they step up and make shots and when they do that it makes it a lot easier for us to operate down there. I think teams are more reluctant to double team when those guys are making shots."

On the trip back from Texas:
"Well, it was a frustrating trip on the way back because in our minds we missed a great opportunity. At the same time we always say in our prayer that we give God the glory, win, lose or draw. We knew that we had to come back and bounce back from that and we were glad we had an opportunity two days later and we didn't have to wait a week like some sports would. We had a chance to play a good Iowa State team at home and on senior night, so that was really our motivation for the fact that we had a good game coming up, against a good team, and we needed to win."

Senior G Sam Grooms |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

On handling Iowa State's full-court pressure:
"After the Texas game, we came back as a team and a unit and Coach [Kruger] worked with us on press offense. It was about understanding where I needed to go in order to get open other than just running to a spot. Coach worked with us on those things and it just worked out."

On the team's 34-for-34 free throw performance:
"I wasn't even aware of it. I just wanted the guys to go up there and knock them down - as many as we could."

On being in the same spot at Texas with eight minutes to go on Wednesday:
"It was said in the huddle, `We've been here before, let's not act like we haven't done this. Let's move forward and grow and mature as a team.' I think that's what we did today."

ISU Head Coach Fred Hoiberg |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

On the loss:
"We did not play well today. That is the bottom line. Oklahoma played great. Give Lon [Kruger] and the players a lot of credit. They are playing at a very high level. Obviously they did not finish off the game at Texas, but those first 32 minutes they were off-the-charts good; as good as any team, I think, had played. That is how they beat Kansas and had Baylor down 25 at halftime. This team is playing at a very high level right now. Put this one on me. For whatever reason I did not have these guys ready to play today. It is extremely disappointing to me. I think you saw from our assist numbers, I thought this is as selfish as we had played this year. I think we had five assists with a minute and a half left. Tyrus [McGee] hit a couple bombs at the end to get that up to nine. We are an unselfish team, and I think that when we go out there and play together we are as good as any team in the country. When we don't, we are not a very good team. I thought that is what it was today, and again, that is on me."

"It is really the first time all year that we got it taken to us. We got our butts kicked. It is a terrible feeling, especially with the magnitude of this game. This was a huge game for both teams and they stepped up to the plate to win it."