Instant Recap: Oklahoma State Falls to Texas 81-65

The Cowboys hung in it for most of the first half and made some noise in the second, but they made too many mistakes and the Longhorns made them pay.

Oklahoma State fell to Texas on the road 81-65. The Cowboys showed enough grit to come back and tie the game midway through the second half, but the Longhorns outscored them by 21 over the final 12 minutes plus change.

The Longhorns (19-10, 8-8) came in looking to bolster their seeding in both the upcoming Big 12 Tournament and the Big Dance, while the Cowboys (12-17, 4-12) were scratching to try to avoid finishing below .500 for the second time in Mike Boynton’s career. To do so now, they would need to win their next two and then make it to the championship game in Kansas City.

John-Michael Wright’s 18 points led all scorers and three of his teammates also scored in double digits, but down the stretch OSU got out-shot, out-executed and out-momentumed on a tough court to win on.

The Cowboys were able to keep it within two possessions midway through the first half, but the Longhorns started hitting from downtown, making three of four to finish out the half. OSU trailed 45-36 at the break.

Both teams came out of halftime a little disjointed. Neither team scored for the first two-plus minutes, and the Cowboys didn’t get back on the board for more than four minutes of the period. They were honestly fortunate not to be down more after the drought. But the Cowboys took an opportunity to make a run at the game.

Texas’ leading scorer Dillon Disu went to the bench at the 16:08 mark, and OSU took advantage of his absence, busting off an 8-0 run over a minute and a half to pull within 47-44. And they did it by turning UT turnovers into transition points.

.@small_javon alllll the way to the basket for the and 1! pic.twitter.com/tePJuBU9Oh

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) March 2, 2024

That served as a splash of fuel for OSU’s offense, though it would flame out quickly, with Javon Small making his first three shots from the field in the half and Wright nailing a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers. The result was 52-52 tie with 12:20 to go.

But things can change quickly on the road in the Big 12.

TYRESE HUNTER LIFTOFF 🚀#HookEm | @hunter_tyrese pic.twitter.com/mU8uBRWeTl

— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) March 2, 2024

The Longhorns rattled off 14-straight points in a short three-minute spurt, and it was basically VinceCarter.GIF. The 19-point hole marked OSU’s largest deficit so far. The crowd was in it, the Longhorns were hot and their momentum was seized. Texas was able to hold of any potential OSU comeback attempts and then pushed its lead to 19 by crunch time.

Wright finished with 18 points on 5-of-12 shooting (4-of-9 from 3), Small and Quion Williams each scored 13 while Williams shared the game-high with seven rebounds. Jamyron Keller added 11 points on seven shots.

Unfortunately, the Cowboys were outshot and outrebounded, giving up 47% shooting to the Longhorns and losing the battle of the boards by 11. Plus, OSU gave up 24 points on 15 turnovers. You can’t afford that kind of discrepancy late on the road in the Big 12, against a team with plenty to play for.

Next Up

The Cowboys will return to Stillwater to host their final home game of the season on Tuesday, when they welcome Texas Tech at 7 p.m.