Bryce Thompson scored 17 points to lead Oklahoma State to a 65-51 win over Sam Houston on Tuesday night in Stillwater, Okla.
The Cowboys (6-3) have won four of their last five games while the Bearkats (7-2) have dropped two of their last three.
Oklahoma State dominated the boards, outrebounding Sam Houston 37-22. The Cowboys had a season-high 14 offensive rebounds.
Moussa Cisse led the Cowboys with 13 rebounds and four blocks.
After trailing by 12 points at the break, 32-20, the Bearkats turned up the heat defensively after halftime to get back into the game.
Sam Houston forced eight Cowboys turnovers in the first eight minutes of the second half, with Oklahoma State managing just five shots during that span — making just one.
Qua Grant got the Bearkats going on both ends of the floor. He had four steals in a four-minute span and finished twice on the other end to help pull Sam Houston within five.
But after the Bearkats cut the Cowboys lead to 32-27, Oklahoma State got going again offensively.
John-Michael Wright hit two buckets in a 7-0 Oklahoma State run to stretch the lead back to 12, then up to 18 as the Cowboys stretched their run to 19-6.
Wright, Tyreek Smith and Avery Anderson III each scored 10 points for Oklahoma State. All of Anderson’s points came in the second half.
Grant led the Bearkats with 15 points, while Donte Powers added 10.
The Cowboys closed the first half with a 22-7 run over the final 10 minutes to take control.
Thompson got the Cowboys going with back-to-back 3-pointers, then added another to keep the run going.
Sam Houston shot just 30.4 percent in the first half and finished just 6 of 21 from behind the 3-point line for the game. The Bearkats attempted just three free throws before the break.
Oklahoma State hit 10 of its last 13 shots and finished 61.1 percent from the field after halftime.
–Field Level Media