Oklahoma State's Comes up Short Against No. 14 Kansas State 73-68

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State’s upset bid of Kansas State for an eighth Big 12 win came up short in the end as the No. 14 Wildcats found a way for a 73-68 win.

The Cowboys fall to 16-13 overall on the season and 7-9 in Big 12 play.

The Pokes shot 41% from the field and 22% from 3-point range. They were outrebounded 33-30, as well as on the defensive end 29-23.

They did, however, limit their turnovers to just 11, while forcing 16 on the other end and scoring 19.

It was Kalib Boone who led the way with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line.

John Diaz - Pokes Report

The trio of Caleb Asberry, John-Michael Wright and Bryce Thompson all scored in double figures with 13 points, 12 points and 11 points respectively.

It was a solid first half of play for the Pokes as they went into the break with a 35-33 lead. Caleb Asberry got the Pokes on the board to start the game on a nice backdoor pass from Kalib Boone. It was a back-and-forth game for most of the first 10 minutes of the half, with the Pokes holding a 17-15 lead with 11:05 remaining in the first half.

The Wildcats went on a quick 7-0 run over the next three minutes to go up 22-17.

The final four minutes of the first half were good for the Pokes as they went on an 11-0 run to take their largest lead of the half, 35-29.

The Wildcats, however, won the final :22 as Desi Sills hit two free throws and then stole an OSU in-bounds pass with :04 remaining and hit a fastbreak layup at the buzzer to make it a two-point game.

The Cowboys struggled from 3-point range in the first half as they shot just 27% on 3-of-11 shooting. It was Asberry and Woody Newton who got the Pokes up to three made 3-pointers as they each hit one during the 11-0 run.

They did, however, shoot 43% from the field in the first half and limited their turnovers to just six, while forcing eight on the other end.

Boone came out hot in the second half and scored the Pokes’ first six points, clearing his first half mark of four points.

It was a game of runs in the second half as the Pokes went 4-0, which was followed by a quick 7-0 run by the Wildcats. Kalib Boone went on a 5-0 run himself after that, putting the Pokes up 44-40. A jumper from Bryce Thompson started a less than a minute 7-0 run, which included a huge three from John-Michael Wright.

John Diaz - Pokes Report

That run also included a defensive rebound and fastbreak layup by Thompson, which put the Pokes up 53-45 with 12:08 remaining in the game.

Jerome Tang picked up a technical foul after a K-State fastbreak bucket, putting Asberry on the line, who sunk both, putting the Pokes back up six, 55-49 with 10:49 to go.

The Cowboys went on a five-plus-minute field goal drought, combined with a two-plus minute scoring drought after Asberry’s free throws. Boynton called a timeout with 6:41 remaining in the game following a layup by the Wildcats’ N’Guessan.

John-Michael Wright ended both of those droughts with a big 3-pointer out of the timeout, giving the Pokes a 60-59 lead.

John Diaz -Pokes Report

The Wildcats hit two-straight 3-pointers to go up by five, 65-60 with just over five minutes remaining in the game, before Woody Newton was fouled under the basket. He’d miss the first free throw, but hit the second before recording a steal on the other end of the court.

Kalib Boone tied K-State up with two seconds on the shot clock, but Sills hit a big bucket under the basket to go back up five, 69-64, before forcing a Bryce Thompson turnover on the other end. They didn’t get a bucket out of the turnover, with Boone going to the line on the other end where he hit both free throws to make it a three-point game, 69-66 with just over a minute to play.

The Cowboys had a chance to make it a three-point game with a 3-pointer from Wright with :28 remaining, but it went long. Wright fouled Markquis Nowell on the ensuing play to send him to the line, where he made both free throws. Thompson hit a layup with :9 remaining to make it a five-point game, but that’s as close as the Pokes would get.

The Cowboys play host to No. 9 Baylor on Monday with tipoff scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and televised on ESPN.