KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Buddy Hield scored 39 points, Ryan Spangler made a series of critical plays down the stretch and sixth-ranked Oklahoma beat No. 21 Iowa State 79-76 on Thursday night in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals.
Spangler finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Isaiah Cousins also had 10 points for the third-seeded Sooners (24-6), who advanced to play ninth-ranked West Virginia in the semifinals.
The Mountaineers rolled past TCU earlier in the night.
Georges Niang matched a career-high with 31 points for the sixth-seeded Cyclones (21-11), who trailed by 14 midway through the second half before making it a game. But after squandering several chances to get within a possession, it wasn't until Deonte Burton's 3-pointer at the buzzer that they finally did.
Matt Thomas contributed 13 points, Burton finished with 12 and Abdel Nader had 11 for the Cyclones, who were trying to win their third consecutive Big 12 Tournament title.
As usual, their fans packed inside the Sprint Center, making their annual pilgrimage south on Interstate 35 in cars plastered in bumper stickers, flags and every other manner of Cyclones paraphernalia.
They seemed to give their boys a spark in the opening minutes, too.
The game eventually settled into a back-and-forth affair between teams that spent all season firmly entrenched in the Top 25. And it wasn't until Hield got going midway through the half that the Sooners created the slightest bit of separation, taking a 35-29 advantage into the break.
It grew quickly in the opening minutes of the second half, and a crucial series of plays near the midway point appeared to give Oklahoma enough breathing room to feel comfortable.
They began when the Cyclones' Nader was called for charging and Cyclones coach Steve Prohm went ballistic, drawing a quick technical foul. Hield made both foul shots. Then, when the Sooners set up offense, Isaiah Cousins threw a lob that Hield dunked while getting fouled, and he made that free throw, too.
The five-point trip gave the Sooners a 55-42 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining.
Iowa State countered with seven quick points a few minutes later, and Niang proceeded to keep Iowa State in the game. The wily senior at one point scored 12 consecutive points for the Cyclones, including a couple of 3-pointers that even had Oklahoma fans expressing their appreciation.
Niang converted a three-point play to get the Cyclones within 72-66, then Nader buried a 3-pointer from in front of his own bench to make it 73-69 with just over a minute to go.
The Cyclones elected to play defense rather than foul, and it paid off when they forced Hield into an air-balled 3-pointer and a shot-clock violation. But with an open look from the corner at the other end, Nader misfired on a 3 that would have made it a one-point game and Spangler corralled the rebound.
The senior calmly made both foul shots to help seal the win.
TIP-INS
Iowa State: Niang had 25 of his 31 points in the second half. It was the most scored by a Cyclones player in the Big 12 Tournament since Jake Anderson had 33 against Colorado in 2011. ... Iowa State had won its last six games in the tournament.
Oklahoma: Hield was 14 of 21 from the field and 9 for 9 from the foul line. He also had nine rebounds. ... The tournament scoring record is 43 points, set by Texas Tech's Mike Singletary against Texas A&M in 2009. ... The Sooners have not won the tournament since winning three straight from 2001-03.
UP NEXT
Iowa State awaits its NCAA Tournament seed on Sunday.
Oklahoma plays the Mountaineers in Friday night's semifinals
