Cowboys’ Comeback Bid Comes Up Short in Lubbock, Texas Tech Wins 64-54

BOX SCORE

The Cowboys nearly pulled off an improbable comeback on Sunday, but more offensive inconsistencies proved too much to overcome.

Oklahoma State lost to Texas Tech 64-54 in Lubbock. The Red Raiders led by as many as 18 midway through the second half. OSU trimmed that lead down to three points with five minutes to play just to score five points from then on out.

Tech opened the game on a 12-4 run with all dozen of those points coming off 3-pointers. OSU battled back, though, getting to within a point of the Red Raiders with about five minutes to play in the opening half. But as was the case in the second half, Tech closed better and went into the locker room with a 37-27 lead.

It looked as if the Red Raiders were going to blow the Cowboys out when Kevin Overton hit a pair of free throws midway through the second half to give Tech a 51-33 lead, but then a pair of Pokes went on runs to get them back in it.

Bryce Thompson rattled off a 6-0 run by himself, with four of those points coming from the foul line. Then Arturo Dean took the baton and started running. Dean scored nine points in about two and a half minutes. When his barrage ended, the Red Raiders’ lead was down to 52-49.

AND 1 😤@ArturoDean12 pic.twitter.com/6okjdYHymm

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) January 26, 2025

But then the Cowboys went cold again. OSU made just one of its final eight shots, and the Red Raiders got their lead back to double digits by the final buzzer. It was a funky second half. OSU scored four points in the first 10 minutes of the half and five in the final five minutes. Then there was that five-minute stretch between where the Pokes put up 18.

Turnovers and second-chance opportunities were a big issue for the Cowboys. OSU had 22 turnovers, four more than the Pokes have had in any other game this season. Those turnovers led to 20 Tech points. The second-chance point issue was one the Pokes righted at halftime, but the first half saw Tech grab six offensive boards and score 10 points off of those rebounds.

Thompson scored a game-high 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting. He was 6-for-6 from the foul line. Thompson has scored in double figures in the Cowboys’ past six games, a stretch that’s seen him average 15.7 points on 50% shooting. He’s also 27-for-32 (84%) from the line in that time. Thompson was, though, responsible for some of the Cowboys’ turnover woes Sunday, finishing with a game-high five.

Dean also had a nice day — especially that few-minute stretch when he went nuclear. He finished with 11 points, Dean’s fourth time in double figures all season. His defensive presence also a big deal, though. Dean finished neutral on plus/minus meaning OSU scored just as many points as Texas Tech did while Dean was on the floor.

The Cowboys fall to 10-9 with the loss and are 2-6 in Big 12 play. They’ll play Kansas State at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Manhattan. OSU beat the Wildcats 79-66 on Jan. 7 in Gallagher-Iba Arena.