Instacap: Cowboys Surge Late to Secure Comeback Win over Texas 65-64

Oklahoma State used a late run off the hot hand of Jeffrey Carroll and the grunt work of Lindy Waters to defeat Texas 65-64 inside a rowdy (late) Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The Cowboys spent most of the second frame just within striking distance, but trading buckets with the Longhorns. Some late stops and Jeffrey Carroll catching fire resulted in a 13-0 run for the Pokes in the final five minutes which helped secure the comeback win.

Carroll was the best player on the court in the second half which is a requirement for his team to get a win. He led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting (2 of 3 from 3) and three rebounds. Brandon Averette scored 11 points while starting over Kendall Smith and Lindy Waters chipped in 10 and three assists — and five-ish big-time hustle plays.

Two Longhorns scored in double figures — Dylan Osetkowksi had 12 on 3-of-12 shooting and nine rebounds and freshman center Mohamed Bamba scored 10 points on 10 shots and added 10 boards and two blocks.

Just three days removed from a losing effort in that Mike Boynton termed “gutless,” the Cowboys came out at least showing some effort. Lots of deflections and better defense to start. This actually looked like the matchup of two defensive-minded teams.

The Cowboys who went 3 of 9 from 3 in the first half in Manhattan only attempted two in the first eight minutes of game time, both were by Jeffrey Carroll (he made one) and neither were forced. Thomas Dziagwa took No. 3 and made it with nine minutes left in the half.

With the Longhorns’ freshman center Mohamed Bamba protecting the paint, the Cowboys started 3 of 12 on 2-pointers. Bamba, with his Boeing-esque wingspan, leads the nation, averaging 4.6 blocks per game and the Pokes could barely see the net much less toss the ball into it. He had two blocks on Saturday and countless shot alterations.

The Cowboys fell behind by as many as six twice but battled back before UT ended the first half on a 5-0 run to take a 7-point lead into intermission.

The Pokes started off the second half with a backdoor alley-oop to Yankuba Sima but didn’t score another field goal for nearly four minutes. The Cowboys showed some signs of life midway through the second half but were trading baskets with the ‘Horns who hovered around a 10- to 12-point lead for most of the second half.

The Cowboys were finally able to string together a couple of stops thanks to back-to-back hustle plays by Lindy Waters. Jeffrey Carroll took the opportunity to show where all the preseason All-Big 12 love came from and lead his team on a 13-0 run before Tavarius Shine gave OSU the lead at 63-62.

Texas’ leading scorer Dylan Osetkowski ended the Longhorn scoring drought with a go-ahead two. Oklahoma State had three chances to answer but were denied each time, including a crucial Bamba block on Yankuba Sima.

With a one-point lead and the ball, Texas had a chance to make things really hard for the Cowboys when freshman point guard Matt Coleman drove into the lane and Lindy Waters stood strong to take a huge charge. OSU ball with 23 seconds and a chance for the walk-off win.

Waters takes a late charge against Texas with #okstate down 1. pic.twitter.com/ZQrmFz8l6c

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) January 14, 2018

After an in-and-out miss from Carroll, the Cowboys were able to secure two offensive rebounds — with its best offensive rebounder fouled out on the bench — including the tip-in game-winner by Tavarius Shine.

#okstate wins. Unreal finish in GIA. pic.twitter.com/4gaxUlXdhq

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) January 14, 2018

Oklahoma State moves to 12-5 on the season and 2-3 in Big 12 play. Next up, the Cowboys head to Waco to face Baylor on Monday at 8 p.m.