Oklahoma State struggled down the stretch against Virginia Tech, turning the ball over three times in the final two minutes to fall to Hokies, 70-65, in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational.
With the loss, the Cowboys fall to 6-4 on the season.
Avery Anderson III and Kalib Boone led the way for the Pokes in scoring, both finishing with 15 points, Anderson III on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor, 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and Boone 6-of-10 from the floor, 3-of-4 from the free throw line.
Moussa Cisse also finished with double figures, 12 points, on 3-of-5 shooting, 6-of-9 from the free throw line, with seven rebounds.
The Cowboys led the rebound game, 38-37, while shooting a combined 40% from the floor.
Other than a handful of minutes, the Cowboys played a decent second half against a good basketball team. They led 46-42 nine minutes into the game, while holding the Hokies to just 1-of-12 shooting and forcing seven-straight missed shots in that time.
On the other side of the court, the Cowboys rebounded quite nicely from the 25 points scored in the first half by posting 22 points in the first nine minutes.
However, it was fouls and turnovers that put the Hokies over the edge as they scored 19 points off the Cowboys 17 turnovers, scoring five points off the three turnovers in the final two minutes of the game.
As for fouls, the Cowboys committed 21 team fouls, leading to 19-of-24 shooting from the line for the Hokies.
Up next for the Pokes is another road showdown, this one essentially being a true road game, despite it being played at a neutral site, as they’ll face Wichita State on Saturday, Dec. 17. The game will be played at Intrust Bank Arena in downtown Wichita. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
