Cowboys Hang on to Beat Golden Lions

Jeff Newberry’s tremendous all-around effort was the deciding factor in Oklahoma State’s 86-72 win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff. The redshirt senior contributed 19 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and two blocks in the Cowboys' second win of the season.

The Cowboys had an unconvincing early showing against the Golden Lions, going into the half with a slim 32-31 lead. Newberry led all OSU scorers at the half with 10 and Golden Lion guard JoVaughn Love had 12 of his 21 points in the first half. The Golden Lions never trailed by more than six in the half, and even held an early 11-7 lead after they followed the Pokes’ first seven points with an 11-0 run of their own.

The Cowboys were able to pull away from UAPB early in the second half thanks to a 10-0 run that gave OSU a 12 point lead. While it was all Newberry in the first half, contributions from Jawun Evans and Chris Olivier were key in the second half. Evans was smart with the ball and aggressive in getting to the basket. He dished off seven assists and scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, including two and-one’s. Olivier, who struggled to finish at the rim in the first half, looked sharp coming out of the break and also added 11 of his 13 points in the second half; Olivier contributed eight rebounds as well. The Pokes had five scorers in double-digits, with Mitchell Solomon and Phil Forte both scoring 10 points. 

Once again, the Cowboys looked a lot stronger in the second half than in the first half -- this will be a thing to look for as the season transpires. The Cowboys are outscoring opponents 105-67 in the second half, compared to 72-62 in the first half. 

Up next for Oklahoma State is a neutral site game against Towson in the Gildan Charleston Classic. Tip-off is set for 1:00 PM CT inside TD Arena.

For complete stats click here