Surging Oklahoma State will try to take a step closer to NCAA Tournament contention when it hosts Texas Tech on Tuesday in a Big 12 game in Stillwater, Okla.
The Cowboys (14-9, 5-5 Big 12) have won three straight games and five of their past six, most recently a 79-73 victory at home over then-No. 15 TCU on Saturday. Kalib Boone scored a career-high 25 points that included a huge bucket in the final 30 seconds.
Caleb Asberry added a season-high 19 points for Oklahoma State with John-Michael Wright hitting for 17.
After leading by 19 points early in the second half, the Cowboys surrendered their advantage and trailed with 5:08 to play. The lead seesawed for the next two minutes before Oklahoma State ran off nine straight points to go up 72-65 with 2:07 remaining. Later, Boone hit a layup and Asberry canned a pair of free throws to salt away the victory.
“Every game we’ve played has been a tough one,” Boone said. “We used to do the same thing: have a big lead, lose it and then lose the game. So, it’s like learning. We decided we’re not gonna let that happen again.”
The Cowboys cannot afford to take lightly Texas Tech, who last week beat then-No. 13 Iowa State in overtime.
“You never get comfortable. You always gotta understand that the next game is more difficult,” Boynton said. “No matter how hard (the TCU) game was, the next game is more difficult to win.”
The Red Raiders (12-11, 1-9) have endured a surprisingly difficult season and are coming off an 89-62 loss at then-No. 11 Baylor on Saturday. Texas Tech had a two-game winning streak snapped and fell to 1-8 in games against ranked teams.
De’Vion Harmon led the Red Raiders with 20 points while Jaylon Tyson added 19 points and 10 rebounds to produce his third double-double of the season.
The Red Raiders trailed by just four points at the half but couldn’t contain Baylor’s guards or defend the 3-point line in the second half.
“We were trying to keep (Baylor) in check and did pretty good in the first half,” Texas Tech coach Mark Adams said. “The dam broke and once they get going you have to start scrambling. “We’ve had some good games and overall I feel like we’re getting better, But the loss to Baylor was a step back — at least the second half was.”
Oklahoma State is 10-2 at home while the Red Raiders have lost all five of their Big 12 road games.
–Field Level Media
