Bryce Thompson scored a game-high 17 points on 4-for-5 3-point shooting to help lead Oklahoma State to an 85-70 win over visiting Sam Houston on Sunday in Stillwater, Okla.
Javon Small added 16 points on 6-for-10 from the field for the Cowboys (1-1). John-Michael Wright poured in 14 for Oklahoma State, which rebounded following an opening-night loss to Abilene Christian.
Davon Barnes had 16 points to lead Sam Houston (1-2) and Marcus Boykin added 11. The Bearkats’ leading scorer on the season, Lamar Wilkerson (17.5 ppg), was held to just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field.
After an eight-point lead at halftime, Oklahoma State pulled away late, thanks to a 16-4 run that was aided by Thompson.
Minutes after exiting the game due to an injury, Thompson returned with an emphatic breakaway dunk and then drew a charge to help build an 18-point advantage with 6:12 remaining — the Cowboys’ largest lead to that point.
Oklahoma State connected on 10 of 17 3-pointers in the second half and totaled 17 in the game.
Sam Houston struggled to shoot from the onset, making just 9 of its 29 shots in the first half. They finished the game 23-for-61 (37.7 percent) from the field.
Oklahoma State outscored Sam Houston 32-17 over the final 14 minutes of the first half en route to a 38-30 lead at halftime.
After Oklahoma State knotted the score at 27, the Cowboys finished the first half on an 11-3 run.
The Cowboys were led by Justin McBride and Thompson, who each had eight first-half points.
Barned paced Sam Houston’s first-half scoring, with 10 points on 3-for-5 3-point shooting.
Oklahoma State’s victory was its four in four tries against Sam Houston. The Cowboys beat the Bearkats 65-51 when they met last season.
Sunday was Sam Houston’s first of two consecutive matchups against power-conference teams. They will take on Ole Miss Friday.
–Field Level Media
