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STILLWATER, Okla. — Junior Michael Hale III poured in 26 points, but Cezar Guerrero drained eight 3-pointers en route to a game-high 29 to help lead Oklahoma State from 11 down for a 90-85 overtime win against UTSA in Wednesday's Midwest Regional Championship Game of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off at historic Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Roadrunners (2-1) led by 11 points in the final minutes, but Guerrero helped the Cowboys (3-0) rally from a six-point deficit with less than 15 seconds to play and secure a spot in the tournament semifinals in New York City next week.
Sophomore Igor Nujic gave UTSA a 71-60 lead on a layup with 2:30 left to play, but OSU cut it to six with a pair of free throws by Jean-Paul Olukemi and a 3-pointer from the top of the key by Reger Dowell with 1:32 on the clock.
Hale III made 1-of-2 at the line and Nujic was good on another layup, but Le’Bryan Nash grabbed an offensive board off a missed 3-pointer and his putback cut it to 74-71 with 31 seconds left.
Hale III then was fouled with 26.6 remaining on the clock and made both to push the lead back to five. Nujic then connected on 1-of-2 to make it 77-71 with 18 ticks remaining.
Guerrero converted a 3-point play and then, after a turnover on the inbounds pass, drained his sixth trey with 8.8 left to knot the score at 77. Senior Sei Paye’s running jumper fell short and OSU’s half-court desperation heave rimmed out to send the game to overtime.
Hale III gave UTSA an 85-81 lead after a three-ball and a layup midway through the extra period, but Guerrero struck twice more from downtown to help give the Cowboys the lead for good with less than a minute remaining.
UTSA turned the ball over and then missed its final two 3-point attempts, while OSU made 3-of-4 from the charity stripe down the stretch to hold on for the five-point win.
Hale III’s season-high 26 came off a pair of treys and a 12-for-13 night at the free-throw line and he added five rebounds and four assists. Junior Kannon Burrage turned in his second straight strong second half with 17 en route to 19 overall, while sophomore Jeromie Hill (16) and Nujic (12) also reached double figures.
Guerrero was 8-of-17 from beyond the arc and he was joined in double figures by Nash (17) and Olukemi (12).
Burrage found his stroke midway through the second half, as he reeled off a 3-point play and treys from the right wing on back-to-back possessions to give UTSA a 48-46 lead with 9:34 left.
Nujic and senior Stephen Franklin knocked down threes and Burrage had a steal and dunk to give the Roadrunners a 58-52 lead two minutes later. Hale III then found Burrage on a fast-break alley-oop and his plus-one free throw put UTSA up, 65-55, with just over five minutes remaining. Paye went on to hit 1-of-2 at the line to increase the advantage to 11.
The teams exchanged leads eight times in a tight first half.
Hale III, who had 12 points before halftime, drained a jumper to give the Roadrunners a 24-21 lead with 6:44 on the clock, but UTSA missed its final 10 shots and finished the half shooting just 24.1 percent (7-of-29). Meanwhile, the Cowboys closed out the frame with nine unanswered points and carried a 30-25 advantage into the locker room, the largest lead by either team.
The Roadrunners will face Colorado State (2-1) at 8:30 p.m. (CT) on Monday, Nov. 21, and Fresno State (2-1) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 22, in the consolation round at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo.