Cowboy Basketball Sharp in 89-78 Exhibition Win Over SMU

STILLWATER - Bryce Thompson scored 24 points on 5-of-5 three-point shooting to lead the Oklahoma State men’s basketball team to an 89-78 exhibition victory over SMU on Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The Cowboys hit 10 first-half threes and finished 14-of-28 overall from deep. Beginning at the 9:00-mark, they connected on seven straight triples to turn a 24-20 deficit into a 47-38 halftime lead.

Marchelus “Chi Chi” Avery was the only other OSU player in double-figures, finishing with 14 points on 3-of-5 three-point shooting. Seven other Cowboys tallied between five and eight points.

Abou Ousmane grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and blocked three shots, and Khalil Brantley handed out five assists in 22 turnover-free minutes.

OSU had more steals (8) than turnovers (7) and outscored SMU 14-0 on fastbreak opportunities.

Thompson’s 24 points were an unofficial career-high. He scored a regular-season best 23 in a Dec. 31, 2022 visit to Kansas.

The OSU lead was 61-46 with 16:22 to play after Avery’s steal and dunk.

SMU reeled off 14 straight points to get within 61-60 at the 11:55-mark, but the Cowboys regrouped with another 19-8 spurt.

Arturo Dean turned a Robert Jennings II steal into a fastbreak layup that made it an 80-68 OSU lead with 4:34 to play, the Cowboys led comfortably the rest of the way.

The Cowboys have now won 36 consecutive preseason exhibition games, last losing in 2000 to Athletes First in Tulsa. They’ve won 57 in a row at Gallagher-Iba, going back to 1988.

OSU now has another nine days to prepare for officially opening the Steve Lutz Era against Green Bay on Monday, Nov. 4 (8 p.m. CT, ESPN+)