Austin Reaves scored 21 points to lead No. 25 Oklahoma to a 79-73 win over Iowa State in the first round of the Big 12 tournament on Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo.

However, the Sooners (15-9) didn't have an easy time. The last-place Cyclones, who lost their 18th consecutive game and ended their season at 2-22, cut what was a 19-point deficit down to five in the final minute.

When Iowa State made a big push a bit earlier with an 11-point run, Reaves answered.

Reaves hit shots on three consecutive possessions starting with just less than four minutes to go, each time following Iowa State scores on the other end.

Reaves put up 14 of his points in the second half.

De'Vion Harmon added 18 points for the Sooners on 8 of 12 shooting.

Rasir Bolton, coming off the bench for the first time this season after not playing since Feb. 27 due to a sprained ankle, led the Cyclones with 18 points.

Earlier in the season, when the Sooners were one of the hottest teams in college basketball thanks to three consecutive wins over top-10 opponents, Oklahoma's success started on the defensive end.

The Sooners had struggled on that end of the floor for long stretches during their four-game losing streak to end the regular season but got back to dictating from the defensive end against the Cyclones, especially during their own 11-0 run earlier in the second half.

Oklahoma took control during the surge, extending its lead to 19 after Iowa State had kept within striking distance to that point.

The run really got going with back-to-back steals that immediately led to buckets.

First, Elijah Harkless leapt up and deflected a pass from Jalen Coleman-Lands, gathered the ball and took off down the floor. As Harkless drove the lane, he spun past Tre Jackson before completing the layup.

Soon after, Harmon came over to help on Solomon Young, cleanly picking the ball from Young and swatting it over to Umoja Gibson. Gibson fed it right back to Harmon, who went the rest of the way for a layup.

Iowa State turned the ball over four times during the Sooners' run.

The Sooners advance to play Kansas in a quarterfinal on Thursday. Oklahoma split its season series with the Jayhawks, with each team winning at home.

--Field Level Media