Seniors help Oklahoma State knock off Cincinnati

Field Level Media|published: Sat 8th March, 17:43 2025

NCAA Basketball: Oklahoma State at Baylor

Mar 1, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Bryce Thompson (1) shoots as Baylor Bears guard Robert Wright III (1) defends during the first half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Abou Ousmane and Bryce Thompson shined on Senior Day to lead Oklahoma State to a 78-67 victory over Cincinnati in both schools' regular-season finale on Saturday in Stillwater, Okla.

Ousmane scored 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Thompson finished with 16 points in both players' final game at Gallagher-Iba Arena as the Cowboys (15-16, 7-13 Big 12) held on despite a valiant comeback attempt by the Bearcats (17-14, 7-13).

Jizzle James scored 17 points to lead Cincinnati, but the sophomore guard made just 6 of his 21 shots. Dan Skillings Jr. added 15 points.

Thompson was the only Oklahoma State player who could find the bucket initially. The Cowboys made just four of their first 13 shots, with the senior guard going 4-for-5 with a couple of 3-pointers to give them a 10-9 lead with 14:38 left in the first half.

That's when his teammates got involved. Oklahoma State hit 13 of its next 16 shots. Ousmane capped a 16-2 run over five minutes on a 3-pointer to make it 40-22 with 4:07 left in the half.

The Bearcats, who entered Saturday with an outside chance for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, fought back in the second half fueled by their defense, which held the Cowboys to just 11-for-27 shooting (40.7 percent) and forced nine of their 12 turnovers after halftime.

Cincinnati got the deficit into single digits on a Josh Reed jumper with 13:58 left, and a Simas Lukosius 3-pointer pulled the Bearcats within 66-65 with 4:31 to play.

However, the Bearcats missed their next seven shots to end any chance for the largest comeback victory under coach Wes Miller. The Cowboys scored the next 12 points, with eight coming from the free-throw line over the next 4:20 to snap a two-game losing streak and end their Big 12 season going 7-3 at home.

Marchelus Avery scored eight of his 10 points in the first half for the Cowboys. Day Day Thomas added 12 points for Cincinnati, which lost its third straight.

Both teams advance to the conference tournament starting Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo.

--Field Level Media