Box Score
STILLWATER, Okla. – With Houston Baptist creeping back into the game with its outside shooting, Oklahoma State countered by pounding the ball down low and going to the free throw line 42 times to pull away for an 86-73 victory in the season opener Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
HBU senior guard
Andrew Gonzalez was 6-of-13 from the field, 10-of-13 from the free-throw line and added a pair of threes to lead all scorers with 24 points and also grabbed six rebounds. Sophomore guard
Miles Dixon was 7-of-10 from the field, including 2-for-2 from long range, and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line as he scored 22 points, one shy of his career high, for the Huskies (0-1). Senior guard
Michael Moss added nine as he hit all three of his attempts from behind the arc. Junior forward
Sammy Obetoh led HBU with seven rebounds, and junior forward
Terry Bembry had six.
Marshall Moses scored 17 points and had seven rebounds, while Jean-Paul Olukemi had 16 points and seven rebounds to lead Oklahoma State (1-0). Nick Sidorakis was 3-for-5 from three-point range and finished with 15 points, while Keiton Page scored 13 points and handed out seven assists. Darrell Williams had a game-high nine rebounds, and Matt Pilgrim added eight.
Both teams shot nearly 47 percent from the field for the game, but HBU hit 9-of-13 3-pointers while Oklahoma State hit only 4-of-16. The Cowboys were 26-for-42 (62 percent) from the free-throw line, and the Huskies were 20-for-28 (71 percent). Oklahoma State outrebounded HBU, 39-31, including 18-7 on the offensive glass. The Cowboys scored 19 second-chance point and outscored the Huskies, 38-4, in the paint.
Oklahoma State took its largest lead of the game at 57-37 with 14:22 left in the second half, but HBU scored the next seven points. Dixon's 3-pointer with 7:13 to play cut the Cowboys' lead to eight at 68-60, but HBU would get no closer as Oklahoma State responded by scoring the next five.
HBU led 10-8 5:32 into the game, but an 11-4 run by Oklahoma State put the Cowboys up by seven with 11:42 left in the first half. The Huskies cut the Cowboys' lead to 23-21 with 7:48 to go, but Oklahoma State outscored HBU, 14-4, over the next 5:42 and took a 41-28 lead into the break.
The Huskies continue their road trip as they face Northwestern State Monday at 7 p.m. in Natchitoches, La.
