| Senior Morris Smith IV scored 18 points to lead UTSA on Saturday. |
STILLWATER, Okla. — Senior Morris Smith IV poured in 18 points on the strength of four 3-pointers, but James Anderson scored a game-high 21 to help Oklahoma State hold off UTSA, 61-55, on Saturday afternoon at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The Cowboys (7-1) held a double-digit lead in the second half, but they had to hang on in the final minutes against the Roadrunners (6-2).
Smith IV was 4-for-6 from downtown in leading UTSA in scoring for the third time this season. Junior Devin Gibson added 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, while senior Terry Fields nearly turned in his first double-double with nine points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
The Cowboys scored the first five points of the second half and eventually built a 12-point lead after a Marshall Moses layup at the 15:16 mark made it 43-31.
UTSA would climb back in it, as Smith IV converted a block of an Anderson jumper into a 3-point basket at the other end to pull the Roadrunners back to within 45-39 with 12:33 to play. Both teams went dry for the next three minutes until senior Demarco Stepter knocked down a wide-open trey from the top of the key to make it a three-point contest at the midway point of the half.
Page drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing with eight minutes to play to stop a six-minute scoreless drought for the Cowboys and end the 12-2 UTSA run. Page struck again from downtown — his fifth 3-pointer of the game — three minutes later to give the Cowboys a six-point cushion.
UTSA got back to within four on a Fields layup with just under four minutes remaining, but OSU held on down the stretch by making 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
“This is disappointing, because we felt like this was a winnable game,” said head coach Brooks Thompson, a two-time all-conference guard at Oklahoma State (1992-94). “I feel like we played hard but not as well as we could have played, but you have to give them credit defensively. We didn’t shoot the ball well and they did some things to try to take the ball out of our guards’ hands. We defended the way we wanted to and held them to seven offensive rebounds, and they’re a very good offensive rebounding team. There are some things we can take out of this and learn from, for sure.”
The Roadrunners forced 18 OSU turnovers and committed just six of their own, a season low. UTSA managed just 32.4-percent (22-68) shooting and made just 6-of-24 (25 percent) from downtown. Meanwhile, OSU shot 46 percent (23-50) and was 7-for-18 from three-land and 8-of-11 at the line. The Cowboys tallied 21 fast-break points and out-rebounded the Roadrunners, 42-35 and blocked seven shots, compared to UTSA’s three.
UTSA struggled from the field in the first half, shooting just 29 percent (9-31) — including 3-of-13 from behind the arc — while OSU shot 48.1 percent (13-27).
A Gibson jumper from the top of the key knotted the score at 15-all with 11:44 to play in the half, capping a 10-4 run by the Roadrunners. However, UTSA went cold over the final half of the first, as it made just one field goal — a layup by Smith IV at the 5:43 mark — over a nine-minute stretch until a Gibson layup with two and a half minutes remaining stopped an 11-2 OSU run.
Gibson’s second steal of the half and ensuing layup cut the Cowboys’ advantage to 26-23, but OSU closed with a James Anderson layup and Matt Pilgrim dunk in taking a 30-25 lead into the locker room.
Page (15) and Moses (12) joined Anderson in double figures for OSU, while Moses logged a game-best 16 boards.
The Roadrunners return home to host Texas-Pan American at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7.