Iowa State jumped out to an early 17-6 lead, and the advantage never fell below six after that point. But Jamaal Tinsley came up big, as he has done so often this year. First, it was a drive to the hoop that Tinsley finished with a lay-up. The next time down the floor, the junior point guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., glided down the lane and hit an off-balance shot while being fouled. Tinsley completed the three-point play, and the ISU advantage was restored to a comfortable 13.
People talk about how important guard play is, but more specifically, it's point guard play.
What the flashy guard gave the Cyclones this game was 13 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Tinsley wasn't the only problem for Oklahoma. The Sooners shot only 35 percent for the game. Iowa State concentrated its efforts on Eduardo Najera, the all-conference forward who scored 26 points the first time these two teams met in January. Najera ended up with 19 points and nine rebounds, but the Cyclone defense didn't let him dictate the game.