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For the first time this season, the Oklahoma State Cowboys played away from Gallagher Iba Arena, defeating the Oregon State Beavers 66-53 in the MGM Grand Main Event.
The Cowboys struggled early against the Beavers, going as long as almost eight minutes without a basket. Senior big man Micheal Cobbins got two fouls within the first five minutes, and was forced to sit for the majority of the first half. Oregon State jumped out to an early lead on an 8-0 run, but the Cowboys tied it at 18 with 6:12 left in the first. From that point, Jeffery Carroll heated up from deep, contributing two of his three 3-pointers in less than a minute.
Coming off of a 30-24 lead at half, the Pokes led their own 8-0 run, but after Le'Bryan Nash was forced to sit out with four fouls, the Beavers finally tied the game up halfway through the second period.
From then on, it was all Cowboys.
Oklahoma State went on a nine minute run outscoring the Beavers 19 to 9. During that time, the Pokes held the Beavers to 2-for-8 shooting while forcing six turnovers. Once Nash reentered the game, it was already mop-up duty, and the Cowboys pulled away to win by 13.
Nash led the Cowboys in scoring, contributing 19 points to the winning effort. Phil Forte had 17 points, but shot 2-for-9 from the arc. Redshirt Freshman Jeffrey Carroll also had a solid night all around with 13 points, seven rebounds, three steals and a block. Defensively, the Pokes continued their ways against the Beavers holding them to 33% from the field.
The Cowboys will take on Tulsa in the championship round Wednesday at 11:30 ET on ESPN2. The Golden Hurricane defeated Auburn 53-35.