Jan 26, 2022; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Izaiah Brockington (1) reacts after shooting a three point basket against the Oklahoma State Cowboys during overtime at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
When Tre Jackson stepped to the free-throw line with 11 seconds on the clock and Iowa State holding an 82-81 lead in overtime on Wednesday in Stillwater, he was about to do something he had not done in a long time.
It had been nearly 11 months since Jackson last attempted a free throw in a game. There were 23 Iowa State men’s basketball games between Jackson’s last pair at the charity stripe against TCU last February at Hilton Coliseum and his first of the 2021-22 season on this night in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Jackson calmly stepped to the line and drained them both to put the finishing touches on an 84-81 Cyclone victory and snap the program’s 24-game Big 12 road losing streak.
The win moved Iowa State to 15-5 overall and 3-5 in Big 12 play this season. The Cyclones will take on Missouri in the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday at Hilton Coliseum.
Jackson’s free throws sealed the win, but absolutely nothing was ever certain in this absolutely fantastic basketball game that featured 15 ties and 28 lead changes. The largest lead either team took in the entire contest was four points.
Two teams built on foundations of defensive intensity and toughness went shot-for-shot for 45 minutes with two of those shot-makers — Iowa State’s Izaiah Brockington and Oklahoma State’s Avery Anderson — standing above the rest.
Anderson finished the night with 34 points on 9-of-16 from the field, 5-of-11 from 3-point range and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line. Brockington nearly matched him with 26 points on 11-of-20 overall, 3-of-4 from deep and 1-of-2 at the charity stripe.
Brockington’s biggest shot of the night — another of the tough contested mid-range shots that have become his calling card — tied the game at 70 with 20 seconds left in regulation.
Anderson got one last look in regulation — a long 3-pointer — after both teams traded turnovers, but it rolled off the rim to force an extra five-minute period.
Brockington picked up in overtime where he left off in regulation by adding five more points, including a 3-pointer that put Iowa State ahead four points with less than two minutes to play.
That extra period scoring was aided by freshman point guard Tyrese Hunter’s five points on an and-one layup and a thunderous slam dunk over the head of an Oklahoma State defender. On the night, Hunter finished with 18 points on 6-of-13 from the field, 3-of-8 from 3-point range and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.
Hunter did turn the ball over five times during the game, including once during a crucial stretch in overtime, but he continued to show the ability that makes him one of the most exciting young players in America’s best college basketball conference.
Iowa State got a crucial 15 points from Caleb Grill on 5-of-7 from 3-point range. George Conditt came off the bench for the second time this season to record 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
While Brockington’s shot-making kept Iowa State afloat throughout this game, it was the contributions of his teammates that allowed the Cyclones to get over the hump.
It all came to a head when Tre Jackson stepped to the line to do something he hadn’t done in a long time — and those shots 11 months in the making gave Jackson his first Big 12 road win as a Cyclone.
