Instacap: Oklahoma States Falls to North Texas at the Buzzer in NIT Quarterfinal

The Cowboys trailed for all but a minute and a half of the game, but they still fought to the end and manage to earn a chance to win it at the buzzer.

Oklahoma State fell to North Texas 61-59 in the NIT Quarterfinal in Stillwater on Tuesday. Steve Lutz’s first season ends with more wins than he found the program.

OSU led for all of 55 seconds of the first half, but the Cowboys at least went into the break with some momentum.

Arturo Dean came in leading the nation in steals but grabbed his first one with three seconds to go in the opening period, and he raced to the hoop and laid in a reverse off the glass as time expired.

That problem, or one of the issues that affected OSU in the first half, is that those two points where the first the Cowboys scored off five North Texas turnovers. The Cowboys also couldn’t get anything going against a tough Mean Green defense.

OSU relinquished a 2-0 lead thanks to a made North Texas 3 just a minute into the game, and the Cowboys didn’t gain it back until late in the second half.

OSU shot just 10-for-31 (32%) in the first half and 2-for-7 from 3. The Pokes managed just 22 first-half points despite holding the advantage in rebounds (by three) and offensive boards (two).

The Cowboys also came in as the Big 12’s leader in free throws attempted, at least partly attributed to their aggressive, up-tempo style, but didn’t attempt a free throw until the 16:41 mark of the second half. OSU went just 9-of-16 from the line in a game they lost by two.

OSU hung around and pulled within two multiple times before Khalil Brantley tied it at 41-all with 8:18 to go. North Texas took a 43-41 lead 27 seconds later. Brandon Newman drained a 3-pointer with 6:48 to go to put OSU up 44-43. But that only lasted 38 seconds before Jamyron Keller fouled Atin Wright on a made 3 for a four-point play which started a 9-0 run by the visitors to go up 52-44 with four and a half to go.

The Mean Green kept the Cowboys at arm’s length. Newman made a pair of free throws to pull within 57-52 with 1:21 to go, but Brantley was called for a flagrant on Brenen Lorient with 72 seconds left while there was a confirmed goaltend. With the ensuing foul by OSU, UNT went just 1-for-3 from the stripe to go to up 61-52.

Newman pulled OSU within six with 65 seconds to go thanks to an and-one. Then Bryce Thompson’s steal led to an Arturo Dean layup to make it 61-57 with 50 ticks to go. Newman stole it off an inbound pass with 45 seconds to go. Thompson drained one to pull within 61-59.

When North Texas got it across halfcourt, OSU decided to play them honest, and it actually worked out. Newman grabbed a defensive rebound to give OSU the ball with 8 seconds. The Cowboys appeared like they’d let time expire, but Khalil Brantley threw up a deep ball that banked in with the red lights flashing behind the backboard. But Lutz called a timeout first. OSU got 0.7 seconds and a good look, but Newman’s would-be game-winning 3 bounced just off the back of the rim.

Newman finished tying a game high with 17 points in his final game, scoring 15 of those in the second half. In his final game, Thompson also had 17. Dean could be back for the Pokes. He had 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals but did commit six turnovers.

OSU ended up outshooting North Texas 42% to 38%, and the teams tied for total rebounds and offensive boards.

Wright led North Texas with 15 points and was 4-of-9 from 3. Jasper Floyd and Lorient each and 10 for the Mean Green. Former Cowboy Rondel Walker scored nine points and grabbed four boards on his former home court.

With the loss, the Cowboys end their season 17-18 and were 7-13 in Big 12 play. North Texas will move on to face the winner of UC Irvine and UAB in the NIT Semifinals.