Oklahoma
Iowa State women’s basketball team advances to Big 12 title game with win over Oklahoma
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Iowa State freshman Addy Brown dribbled around the top of the key as the seconds ticked down near the end of the first half Monday against Oklahoma. Brown found an open spot and unleashed a long 3-point shot.
Brown kept her hand skyward long after the ball swished through the net, then pushed it up a little higher to pump up the crowd and ignite the frenzied fan base of Iowa State as the Cyclones rolled into halftime with a 14-point lead.
The basket was as close to a knockout punch as there could have been. No. 4 seed Iowa State never looked back during a 85-68 victory over the top-seeded Sooners in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals. The victory moved the defending champion Cyclones into Tuesday’s championship game for the second straight season.
Iowa State, which has won six straight games, had to fight its way through a close call against Baylor in the semifinals on Saturday. Monday’s game was supposed to be just as difficult with the Cyclones taking on the Big 12’s regular-season champion − a team that rolled to a commanding win in Ames on Feb. 10.
But Iowa State had no issues with the 21st-ranked Sooners this time around.
The Cyclones had trouble getting stops and scoring during their first matchup, but they did whatever they wanted in both areas Monday. They even managed to slow down an Oklahoma team that has one of the top scoring offenses in the nation. The Sooners entered Monday’s matchup averaging 77.1 points per game, but couldn’t get going in the league semifinals.
Oklahoma shot 29% (10-for-34) from the floor in the first half, including 2-of-14 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, the Sooners could not slow down Iowa State. The Cyclones set the tone early by going on a 15-0 run to take a commanding 17-5 lead. Audi Crooks, who finished with 25 points, hit a rare 3-pointer during the run that included five straight makes for Iowa State.
Iowa State closed out the second quarter on a 7-0 run that was capped off by Brown’s 3-pointer to give Iowa State a 38-24 lead at halftime. Iowa State rattled off another big run in the third quarter, going on a 9-0 run to take a 49-26 lead. Even a full-court press by Oklahoma, a move that caused the Cyclones all sorts of problems in their win over Baylor, couldn’t stop Bill Fennelly’s team the rest of the second half.
Brown finished with 16. Emily Ryan had 12 points, 10 assists and six rebounds for the Cyclones.
What’s next? The Cyclones are likely hoping for K-State
Iowa State will face the winner of Monday’s Texas-Kansas State semifinal at 8 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN2). The Cyclones might be quietly pulling for a Wildcats upset. Texas posed problems for Iowa State in an 81-60 rout on Feb. 17 in Austin. Kansas State, meanwhile, lost twice to Iowa State during the regular season. One of those Cyclone wins was a double-overtime thriller in Ames. The other was a road victory at Kansas State two weeks ago.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
Oklahoma
The Spring adds immersive walkthrough to annual Encounter Hope gala in Sand Springs, Oklahoma
TULSA, OKLA. (KTUL) — A Tulsa-based nonprofit is adding an immersive, walkthrough experience to its annual fundraising gala, aiming to give attendees a closer look at what survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking face — and how support services can help.
The Spring, which provides services to people impacted by domestic violence and human trafficking, will feature the walkthrough as part of Encounter Hope, its annual gala set for April 9 at the Arvest Convention Center.
The experience is designed to guide guests through the story of an abuse survivor across four stages of interaction with The Spring: the inciting incident, the crisis call, time at the emergency crisis shelter, and moving into safety.
“The idea is really to put you in the shoes of the people that we serve every day,” Allison Wells,
The Spring’s events and environments coordinator, said. “It’s easy to throw out stats about violence and trafficking in Oklahoma, throw out our service numbers each year, but these are really peoples’ lives. We want to put our attendees in the mindset of one person, one story. What would you do if you were facing this?”
After the walkthrough, attendees will have the opportunity to assemble move-in kits for The Spring’s shelter guests and write personal notes of encouragement.
The program portion of the evening will include a panel discussion hosted by Karen Larsen, an Emmy Award-winning journalist who anchored Tulsa’s Channel 2 for almost 30 years.
“Tulsa is an incredibly charitable city, and we know that these kinds of gala events aren’t rare here,” Leslie Clingenpeel, The Spring’s CEO, said. “Our goal is to go beyond the model of these fundraising-only type events. More than anything, we want people to understand what we do, to know that we’re here, to know what our frontline advocates are doing every single day. Domestic violence and trafficking are hard to look away from once you’re aware of them. We want to build that awareness to the people of this city.”
Individual tickets and table packages are available for purchase.
Attendees are encouraged to register before April 1 because space is limited.
More details and purchasing information are available at www.thespringok.org/encounterhope.
The Spring is a Tulsa-based nonprofit offering services to those affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking.
The organization provides emergency crisis shelter, transitional living, and non-residential services.
More information is available at www.thespringok.org.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State outlasts UCF in overtime, Houston next
The Oklahoma State Cowboys men’s basketball bounced back in a big way Tuesday night.
Anthony Roy scored 27 points and Kanye Clary added 23, including seven in overtime, as Oklahoma State defeated the UCF Knights men’s basketball 111-104 in Orlando.
The Cowboys controlled the extra period, finishing overtime on an 11-4 run and outscoring UCF 17-10.
Clary played a major role in closing it out. He hit a key 3-pointer and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in overtime to help seal the win.
The victory moves Oklahoma State to 18-12 overall and 6-11 in the Big 12, and gives the Cowboys two wins in their last three games after snapping a five-game losing streak. UCF, now 20-9 (9-8 Big 12), has dropped two straight.
Roy and Clary led a balanced offensive effort. Jaylen Curry and Christian Coleman each added 16 points, while the Cowboys shot 49% from the field (35-of-72) and 80% from the free throw line (32-of-40).
Themus Fulks led UCF with 22 points, while Riley Kugel added 18.
Late-game drama forces overtime
The final seconds of regulation were chaotic.
With 24 seconds remaining, Isaiah Coleman threw down a dunk to give Oklahoma State a 94-91 lead.
But UCF answered quickly when Chris Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, tying the game at 94-94.
Oklahoma State had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Jaylen Curry missed a shot, and John Bol blocked Roy’s attempt, sending the game to overtime.
Cowboys respond after tough loss
The Cowboys showed resilience after Saturday’s lopsided loss to Cincinnati.
The team traveled directly to Orlando following that defeat and was pushed through two intense practices by head coach Steve Lutz and the coaching staff.
The response was clear.
Led by Roy’s scoring and Clary’s clutch overtime performance, Oklahoma State delivered a gritty win and swept the season series against UCF
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon
YUKON, Okla. (KOKH) — Oklahoma City Police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon Monday night.
The shooting happened near Northwest 10th Street and South Yukon Parkway near the border of Yukon and Oklahoma City.
Police are on the scene, and officials said the victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the hip.
OKCPD said they have at least one person in custody.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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