Instant Recap: Oklahoma State Fights Off Comeback Attempt, Defeats Seton Hall 85-76

Run-and-gun is an aptly named philosophy for a team called the Cowboys, and Steve Lutz’s squad perfectly embodied that for most of the game on Sunday.

Oklahoma State defeated Seton Hall 85-76, after dismantling the Pirates in the first half and then weathering a string of runs by the home team in the second. All in all, it’s an impressive win and a good sign for a team that inching in on the start of Big 12 play.

The Cowboys came in leading the Big 12 and ranking 15th nationally averaging 10.1 steals per game. They ended with nine, but in you’d asked me in the first half I’d say they were on their way to another 18-steal performance like they had in Tulsa. In the first half, OSU held a 15-0 advantage in points scored off of turnovers. If the Cowboys can play the way they have for much of the lst two games, they’ll be a tough out for anyone and plenty fun to watch.

A thing of beauty 🤌 @KhalilBrantley ➡️ @RJGetBuckets

📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/dN7rEE4HQ5

— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) December 8, 2024

Seton Hall is a top 25 team in defensive efficiency, which makes OSU’s 61% field goal percentage at the half all the more impressive. But things did swing back the Pirates’ way midway through the second.

The Cowboys led by 19 at the half and as many as 25 before the Pirates put together an 8-0 to pull within 18. The Pirates then mounted an 11-2 run to pull within 13 with six minutes to go. Then Arturo Dean called glass on an end-of-the shot clock 3 to stop the bleeding and quiet the home crown. Then Pat Suemnick rattled one in at the end of the clock on the next possession to get it back to 18. Those two deep-possession buckets seemed to slow the comeback down a bit, but the Pirates pulled within 10 with 2:37 to go. Then Jamyron Keller raced down the court for a fast break layup to stymie that run.

The Cowboys had some self-inflicted wounds that made things a bit too interesting. Dean got whistled for a five-second violation on an inbounds play with two timeouts and then got called for a foul on the in-bounds play to give the Pirates two foul shots to cut the lead. Moments later, Seton Hall was able to force the tie up and take the possession down just seven with 50 seconds to go, but Khalil Brantley deflected the subsequent inbounds pass that allowed OSU to get its own tie ball and take it back. Seton Hall had to resort to the foul game, and Dean and Brantley each went 2-for-2 on one-and-one opportunities to ice it.

With five different Cowboys scoring in double figures, it might be hard to name a single player of the game, but Abou Ousmane was a problem for the Pirates, especially early. He made his first four field goal attempts including a spot-up 3. He finished with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting including a key post bucket to help hold off one of those late Seton Hall runs.

Keller shared the lead scoring a season-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting and added three assists and two boards. Robert Jennings also had 14 and four boards. Brandon Newman added 13. Dean scored 11 points, shooting 4-of-5 to go along with three assists and four steals.

Next up, the Cowboys will head to OKC to take on the Sooners in a neutral site, post-Big 12 Bedlam matchup at 7 p.m. Saturday.