STILLWATER – Oklahoma State won the sloppy Big 12 match up against Arizona State on Super Bowl Sunday, 86-73.
With the win, the Cowboys moved to 12-11 on the season and 4-8 in Big 12 play.
Jamyron Keller was one of six Cowboys in double figures on the day, with Keller leading the way with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor, 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
Arturo Dean, Robert Jennings II, Khalil Brantley, Brandon Newman and Pat Suemnick all finished with 10 points.
The Cowboys finished the game shooing 44% from the floor, 31% from 3-point range and nearly 85% from the free throw line.
They outrebounded the Sun Devils 46-34, including 33-24 on the defensive end. They finished with 14 turnovers, forcing 12 on the other end, and scoring 14 points on the ASU turnovers.
The Cowboys had a solid first half as they shot nearly 50% from the field as a team, 36% from 3-point range and 75% from the free throw line. They outrebounded the Sun Devils 24-16, 17 of which came on the defensive end.
Turnovers were an issue for both teams in the first half, the Pokes forcing nine, leading to 13 points on the other end, but they turned it over eight times themselves, leading to 10 points on the other end.
Aside from the turnovers, the Cowboys played well in the first frame, starting out with an 11-2 two run, which was followed by a 7-0 run for the Pokes. After a couple of buckets by ASU between each run from the Pokes, the Cowboys went on an 8-0 run, which they turned into a 15-7 run over six minutes.
They entered the break with a 10-point lead following a three at the buzzer by the Sun Devils, 43-33.
Bryce Thompson hit his first bucket of the game four minutes into the second half on an assist from Arturo Dean. He turned around and hit a layup on the trip back down the court, followed by an and-one free throw to make it 53-38, giving him five quick points.
A steal by Dean gave the Pokes their largest lead of the game up to that point, 17 points, 55-38.
The Sun Devils cut the Pokes’ lead down to eight points following a three-plus minute field goal drought by the Pokes on the other end. A near-three-minute scoring drought by the Pokes was ended with a deep three by Marchelus Avery, getting it back to 11 points just over nine minutes left in the game.
Fouls were a big issue for the Pokes in the second half, as they combined for nine, with a foul on Thompson getting ASU back to eight points, 68-60, with just over eight minutes left in the game. Thompson would leave the game with an apparent shoulder injury on the foul call. Ousmane picked up his fourth with an offensive foul on the ensuing drive.
After a free throw by ASU, Brandon Newman drilled a three ball to make it a 10-point game once again.
The game got really sloppy down the stretch in the final six minutes as both teams combined for nearly seven minutes of no field goals before the Sun Devils drilled a three to make it an eight-point game with 2:31 left, 79-71.
