OSU Hoops: Cowboys Beat TCU For Second-Straight Win

Jawun Evans scored 27 points, dished out eight assists and Oklahoma State never trailed in an 89-76 victory over TCU on Monday night.

Jeffrey Carroll added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Cowboys (12-8, 2-6 Big 12), who won their second straight contest after dropping six in a row.

Kenrich Williams scored 20 points and had 12 rebounds, while Vladimir Brodziansky also scored 20 points for TCU (14-6, 3-5), which lost its third straight.

TCU stayed close the whole way, tying the game at 47, 49 and 51 midway through the second half before Oklahoma State began pulling away.

Up 67-63 with 5:53 remaining, the Cowboys went on a 12-2 run over the next two and a half minutes, surging ahead 79-65 when Brandon Averette put home a layup with 3:35 to go. They kept the heat on, going up by as much as 85-68 when Evans' layup went down with 1:31 left.

BIG PICTURE

TCU: A third straight disappointing loss -- with one or two of those wins, the Horned Frogs might have been able to vault into the Top 25, as they entered the day as the team receiving votes, just out of the rankings. Brodziansky was silent for the game's first 18 minutes and then came alive after that, and Williams was dominant in the first half before disappearing in the second until the final four minutes. If the Horned Frogs had both of their stars going at the same time, they would have been unbeatable.

Oklahoma State: It was an important win for the Cowboys, keeping their momentum going after snapping a six-game losing streak Saturday at Texas Tech. They demonstrated that they were able to close out a close game, re-establish a relentless, pressuring defensive system, and received strong performances from up and down the lineup. It was also a big night for Evans, who hadn't scored more than 20 points in a game since Dec. 17, a span of eight outings.

UP NEXT

TCU returns home to Fort Worth to host Auburn on Saturday as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge series.

Oklahoma State remains at home to take on Arkansas on Saturday in another Big 12/SEC Challenge matchup.