Bench players help propel Oklahoma State past Southern Illinois

Abou Ousmane came off the bench to hit his first eight shots Thursday night and scored 18 points as Oklahoma State held off Southern Illinois 85-78 in Stillwater, Okla.

Ousmane shot 8-of-10 overall, while fellow reserve Brandon Newman went 7-for-9 to also tally 18 points. Marchelus Avery scored 11 points off the bench and Bryce Thompson contributed 10 points for the Cowboys (3-0).

Oklahoma State held a 57-19 advantage in bench points, outscored the Salukis 23-2 in transition and flipped 18 turnovers into 30 points.

Elijah Elliott scored a game-high 21 points for Southern Illinois (1-2) , while Kennard Davis added 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. Ali Dibba chipped in 12 points.

Davis' layup tied the game at 49 with 13:35 left, but the Cowboys blew it open with a 27-9 burst that lasted nearly seven minutes. Newman and Avery both drained two 3-pointers during the outburst that made it 76-58 with 6:56 remaining.

The Salukis drew within 82-78 with 24 seconds left after a 16-2 run, with all 16 points coming from Davis and Dibba, but couldn't get any closer.

The major pregame storyline was if Southern Illinois could make it three wins in as many years against Oklahoma State. The Salukis jumped ahead 10-2 Antwuan Massey's layup before the Cowboys found some footing offensively and clamped down on defense.

Oklahoma State began forcing turnovers against a Southern Illinois team that had committed only 21 across its two games. The Salukis ended the first half with 10 giveaways.

Thompson's 3-pointer at the 8:34 mark made it 19-16, the Cowboys' first lead of the night, and the game went back-and-forth for the rest of the first half. Elliott swished a 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to pull Southern Illinois within 38-37 at the break.

--Field Level Media