BYU ends 3-game skid at Oklahoma State's expense

Field Level Media|published: Tue 14th January, 23:47 2025

NCAA Basketball: Brigham Young at Providence

Dec 3, 2024; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kevin Young signals to the team during the first half against the Providence Friars at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Trevin Knell scored 18 points and Dallin Hall added 14 to lead BYU to an 85-69 victory over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 matchup in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday night.

Knell and Hall combined to make seven 3-pointers for the Cougars. Richie Saunders chipped in 12 points, and Egor Demin and Keba Keita added 10 apiece. Demin also dished out eight assists with two blocks and two steals, while Keita collected nine rebounds. BYU (11-5, 2-3 Big 12) snapped a three-game losing streak.

Jamyron Keller and Bryce Thompson led Oklahoma State with 15 points apiece, and Abou Ousmane added 13. The Cowboys (9-7, 1-4) suffered their fourth double-digit loss in league play.

The Cowboys used a 22-2 run fueled by three perimeter baskets from Keller to trim a 23-point deficit early in the second half to 51-48 with 13:23 left.

Turnovers plagued the Cougars, who went nearly seven minutes without a basket while letting Oklahoma State charge back into the game.

Hall and Fousseyni Traore combined for five points to stop the bleeding for BYU. Demin then capped an 11-2 run with a steal and layup to put the Cougars up 67-52 with 9:39 remaining.

The Cougars quickly seized control after shooting 60 percent from the field in the first half. On the other end, BYU allowed the Cowboys to shoot just 25.8 percent.

BYU ripped off a 10-0 run ignited by a 3-pointer from Knell to seize a 17-6 lead. The Cougars locked down defensively while carving out a double-digit advantage, holding Oklahoma State without a field goal for nearly five minutes.

Once BYU got in front, the Cougars used a 18-0 run to seemingly put the game out of reach before halftime. Hall and Knell keyed the run with back-to-back 3-pointers and then sank a pair of free throws apiece to help the Cougars go up 42-15 with 3:23 left in the first half.

Oklahoma State started 4-of-24 from the floor before Tyler Caron and Connor Dow combined for three straight baskets to finally get the Cowboys' offense going shortly before halftime.

--Field Level Media

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