Big Run Before Halftime Carries Oklahoma State to First Big 12 Win
On Glory Days night in Gallagher-Iba Arena, the Cowboys looked like one of the impressive teams from years past.
On Tuesday, Oklahoma State beat Kansas State 79-66 in Stillwater to earn its first win in Big 12 play. After a couple of uncompetitive losses to open conference plays, the Cowboys responded with a big win over the Wildcats.
The Cowboys and Wildcats looked poised for a tight finish throughout most of the first half, with OSU leading 28-24 with four minutes until halftime. Coming out of the under-four timeout, the Cowboys had a game-defining run.
Over the final minutes of the first half, OSU went on a 15-0 run to balloon its lead to 19 at the half. Throughout the run, all five Cowboys on the floor scored, including four points from Abou Ousmane, who led them throughout that first half. Ousmane had 17 points, five rebounds and two blocks in the first half on 8-of-11 shooting.
The Cowboys continued their solid play into the second half and never allowed the Wildcats to get within single digits again. While Kansas State was able to prevent OSU from extending its big halftime lead, the OSU lead was never in doubt in the second half.
Last season, the Cowboys started 0-6 in Big 12 play, and it appeared they could suffer a similar fate this season after two dreadful performances to begin the conference slate. However, Steve Lutz’s crew shined with its back against the wall and got a massive win to avoid falling to 0-3 in the Big 12.
OSU will look to build on its first win in Big 12 play when it travels to Utah on Saturday and attempts to get its first conference road win.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.