Oklahoma State handles West Virginia

Morgantown, WV – Markel Brown and Le'Bryan Nash scored 16 points apiece, helping No. 14 Oklahoma State to a 73-57 win over West Virginia on Saturday.

Brown shot 5-of-11 from the field and Nash was 7-of-12 for the Cowboys (20-6, 10-4 Big 12), who came into the game off a double-overtime loss to Kansas. Marcus Smart scored 14 points and Brian Williams had 13 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Aaric Murray and Matt Humphrey scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench for the Mountaineers (13-14, 6-8), who have lost two straight games. Kevin Noreen recorded nine points and eight rebounds.

The second half started with both teams trading shots. However, after a dunk by Murray, the Cowboys went on a 6-0 run to start pulling away and had a 45-36 lead just over five minutes in.

A jumper by Murray and a 3-pointer by Humphrey closed the deficit to 45-41, but then the Mountaineers gassed out.

Marcus Smart scored five consecutive points to start a 13-2 run for the Cowboys, capped off by a trey by Williams, and the visitors had a 58-43 advantage with 9 1/2 minutes to play.

As Oklahoma State pulled away, the Mountaineers made just two field goals in the final twelve minutes of the game.

Down 15-8 with about 10 1/2 minutes remaining in the first half, Oklahoma State went on a 10-0 run, capped off with a layup by Nash to give the Cowboys a 17-16 lead with just over seven minutes remaining.

Gary Browne responded with a layup of his own but another layup by Nash would give the Cowboys the lead they didn't let go.

The Mountaineers, though, stuck close behind throughout the rest of the half. Murray scored West Virginia's final six points, including a tip shot with just two seconds remaining to put them within 35-33 at halftime.

Game Notes

Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford earned his 100th win with the Cowboys ... The Cowboys shot 47.2 percent from the field ... The Mountaineers shot 30.2 percent from the field, including 4-of-21 from 3-point range.