Instant Recap: Oklahoma State Falls to No. 3 Iowa State 83-71

BOXSCORE

The Cowboys played tough and led early, but they just got a little too much Hilton magic in the second.

Oklahoma State fell to No. 3 Iowa State 83-71, despite leading for nearly 13 minutes of the first half and cutting it two a two-possession game late. With the win, the Cyclones add to their best start in program history, moving to 16-0.

Parsa Fallah was a problem for the Cyclones early and throughout. He scored seven of the Cowboys’ first 17 points including a 3-pointer just a minute into the game. The Cowboys led for most of the first half, and by as much as nine midway through, but then Cyclone forward Milan Momcilovic got hot. He went 5-for-6 for 16 points including all three of his 3-pointers, which includes this ridiculous shot.

1,000 Career Points in the Most Milan Way Possible.#Cyclones | #C5C | @MilanMomcilovi5 pic.twitter.com/Y73T1Yz85H

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) January 10, 2026

The Cowboys shot 46% from the field and made 4-of-9 shots from beyond the arc in the first half. OSU had seven turnovers in the first but only allowed seven points off of them, and the Pokes out-rebounded the Cyclones 13-10. The Cowboys were also able to stay in it by being aggressive. OSU was 16-of-19 from the charity stripe in the first half but shot just seven free throws in the second half compared to the Cyclones’ 16.

Iowa State came out the break on fire. The Cyclones rattled off nine-straight points as part of an 11-2 run to go up 53-44 and were able to keep the Cowboys at arm’s length in the second.

The shots that were falling in the first half, weren’t in the second and at place like Hilton against a team like these Cyclones, your margins are paper thin. OSU went just 11-of-26 from the field and 4-of-13 from 3 in the second half. Also, the Cyclones cleaned up their home glass in the second, owning the boards 24-10 and holding a 7-0 advantage in offensive rebounds, leading to a 10-0 edge in second-chance points.

The offense just looks different with Fallah in the game. He picked up his fourth foul just six minutes into the second half and had to hit the bench, which coincided with a scoring of over three minutes. But on review, one of those fouls was attributed elsewhere, Fallah returned and then Anthony Roy made a crazy 3-pointer to end the drought. The Cowboys made four-straight shots from the field made the home crown in Ames a little nervous down the stretch.

Fallah led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He was 1-for-3 from deep. When the big man was inside the arc, things were even better for the Pokes. He led all rebounders with 11 and added three assists and two steals.

COUNT IT 👇

📺: ESPN2 | @theparsafallah pic.twitter.com/uDEnlIYdGv

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) January 10, 2026

If Anthony Roy gets an open look and sets his feet, the ball typically goes in. The problem is getting him those open looks. Roy finished with 19 points but on 5-fo-13 shooting (5-of-12 from 3). A chunk of those came late as the Cowboys battled to get back in it. They definitely missed second-leading scorer Vyctorius Miller who sat with an ankle injury. Kanye Clary pitched in 11 points on six shots and dished out six assists and grabbed four rebounds, but he did have a game-high four turnovers.

Five Cyclones scored in double digits, led by Joshua Jefferson with 19 and Momcilovic with 18. They pushed their lead to as much as 11 before the Cowboys pulled back to within 65-59 with 7:36 to go and was able to keep within six points until about 5 and half minutes to go before the Cyclones took control back. Clary got fouled on a 3-point attempt with 1:44 left with the Cowboys down 77-67. He made all three to give OSU a sliver of a chance. But the Cyclones were able to play keep away long enough to put it away.

With the loss, Oklahoma State falls to 13-3 and 1-2 in Big 12 play. Next up, the Cowboys return home to host Baylor at 8 p.m. Tuesday inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.