Recap: Oklahoma State can’t close out No. 15 Kansas in 72-67 loss

Oklahoma State led most the way, but the No. 15 Kansas pulled away to hand the Cowboys a 72-67 loss Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The Cowboys (10-19, 3-13 Big 12) lost Lindy Waters due to an ankle injury for seven minutes and Cam McGriff foul out with 1:38 left in the game and still didn’t let KU (22-7, 11-5) run all over them. If there’s one thing you can say about this team, they’ve got heart and they play tough.

Curtis Jones had one of his best games of the season with 19 points, going a perfect 4 for 4 from beyond the arc and 7 for 9 from the field. McGriff showed he still loves playing against KU by contributing 19 points and five rebounds. He struggled from distance, going 2 for 9 from the 3-point line.

McGriff’s layup and free throw with 4:02 left gave OSU a 67-64 lead, but the Cowboys didn’t score again and couldn’t hit their last five shots.

The Jayhawks as they have most of the season had trouble defending deep. The Cowboys had quite a few wide-open looks throughout the game, but they weren’t able to cash in.

OSU’s Yor Anei was a shot-blocking machine again as he had four blocks.

Dedric Lawson lead KU with 20 points and tied a season high with 15 rebounds. Quentin Grimes added 17 points, and went 6 for 11 from the field and 4 for 7 from beyond the arc.

One of the biggest differences was the amount of free throw opportunities KU had. The Jayhawks had 23 attempts from the charity stripe, while OSU only had five. That difference doesn’t even include the non-shooting fouls and possession changes that didn’t go the Cowboys way. OK, moving on now we’re not going to talk about John Higgins and the refs.

In OSU’s past two games against two top-15 ranked opponents, the Cowboys had a combined 9-point deficit.

Up next

The Cowboys hope to avenge their 73-69 home loss to Baylor from earlier this season when they visit the Bears on Wednesday in Waco, Texas.