Tylor Perry scored 18 of his 23 points after halftime to lead No. 2 seed North Texas to its first NIT semifinal berth with a 65-59 overtime victory over top-seeded Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals on Tuesday in Stillwater, Okla.
Moulaye Sissoko added 12 points and 15 rebounds for the Mean Green (29-7), who denied Oklahoma State (20-16) its first appearance in the NIT semifinals since 1944.
The Mean Green will face second-seeded Wisconsin (19-14) in the semifinals on March 28 in Las Vegas. Wisconsin beat top-seeded Oregon 61-58 on Tuesday.
Kai Huntsberry chipped in 11 points, six rebounds and four assists for North Texas, which won for the 14th time in its past 16 games.
The Mean Green shot 23 of 65 (35.4 percent) from the field, including 9 of 30 (30 percent) from 3-point range.
Oklahoma State was led by Caleb Asberry’s 14 points and eight rebounds, while Moussa Cisse finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.
The Cowboys shot 20 of 61 (32.8 percent), including a woeful 4 of 22 (18.2 percent) from beyond the arc.
Huntsberry’s 3-pointer gave North Texas a 58-57 lead with 3:20 left in overtime, before Asberry split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 58 with 2:53 to play.
Perry’s 3-pointer with 1:49 left gave North Texas a 61-58 lead it did not relinquish.
Woody Newton split a pair of free throws for the Cowboys before Huntsberry’s layup made it a two-possession game with 29 seconds left.
Oklahoma State opened the second half on a 20-10 run to take a 37-34 lead on Cisse’s jumper with 14:22 left in regulation.
After Perry’s three-point play gave the Mean Green a 51-50 lead with 3:49 left, Aaron Scott’s two free throws made it a three-point game with 2:08 to go.
After the teams exchanged baskets, Newton’s 3-pointer tied the game at 55 with 1:11 left.
Asberry missed a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left and John-Michael Wright missed a jumper with 3.7 second remaining, sending the game into overtime.
North Texas controlled the first half, leading by as many as 10 before taking a 24-17 halftime advantage.
–Field Level Media
