Cowboys Breeze By In Exhibition Opener

Six different Cowboys reached double figures and Oklahoma State ran away from an overmatched Ottawa squad as OSU defeated the Braves 109-56 Thursday night the team's exhibition opener.

Freshman Phil Forte and junior-college transfer Kirby Gardner scored 19 points each to lead the Cowboys. Forte finished the game with five 3-pointers on 10 attempts, including making four of his first five. Gardner was effective as well, hitting four of his six attempts from downtown while dishing out three assists.

Freshman Marcus Smart was impressive in his Cowboys debut. Smart scored 13 points on 5-7 shooting, including 2-3 from long range. He also had six rebounds, six assists, six steals and no turnovers in just 15 minutes of play.

It was a night of newcomers for the Cowboys. Freshman forward Kamari Murphy started in his first collegiate action, recording a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Markel Brown, the veteran of the Pokes, scored 17 points on 7-8 shooting, including 3-4 from the outside. Sophomore Le'Bryan Nash finished with 11 points and five assists.

Oklahoma State will open the regular season on Friday, Nov. 9, as the Cowboys host UC Davis in the second game of a doubleheader with the Cowgirls, who play Cal Poly at 5:30 pm.