DaQuan Jeffries' three-point play with 1:02 left Wednesday night enabled Tulsa to hold off Oklahoma State and claim a 74-71 victory at Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Jeffries took a pass from guard Sterling Taplin and threw down a right-handed dunk while being fouled by Michael Weathers. His free throw made it 66-61 and put the Cowboys in score-and-foul mode for the remainder of the game.
Jeffries put the game away at the foul line by converting three two-shot opportunities in the final minute.
Jeffries led the Golden Hurricane (6-3) with a game-high 20 points on just eight shot attempts. Jeriah Horne scored 16, going 4-of-6 from the 3-point line. Lawson Korita tallied 13 points and Martins Igbanu added 10 points plus eight rebounds.
Mike Cunningham topped the Cowboys (4-4) with 14 points, while Lindy Waters and Thomas Dziagwa each scored 12, Dziagwa going 4-of-7 from the 3-point line. OSU hit 11 3-pointers, but Tulsa countered by converting 18-of-21 foul shots in the second half.
The Cowboys pulled to within 72-71 when Cameron McGriff drilled a 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds left, but Igbanu made two foul shots with 8.4 ticks on the clock. Waters' fadeaway 3-pointer as time expired came up short.
Tulsa scored the game's first points just 14 seconds in on a layup by Jeffries. It took the Golden Hurricane nearly eight minutes to score again, but Oklahoma State managed just nine points in that span -- an offensive failure which would haunt it later.
Tulsa eventually reeled in the Cowboys and took a 16-15 edge with 7:23 left in the first half on a 3-pointer by Horne. Oklahoma State regained a 24-19 advantage on two free throws by Waters at the 5:31 mark.
However, the Golden Hurricane responded with a run that eventually netted them the halftime lead. Jeffries converted a layup with 1:06 remaining, and a couple of defensive stops ushered them to the locker room with a 30-29 margin.
--Field Level Media
Oklahoma State | Tulsa | |
Mike Cunningham 14 | Scoring | DaQuan Jeffries 20 |
Michael Weathers 6 | Assists | Sterling Taplin 6 |
Isaac Likekele 6 | Rebounds | Martins Igbanu 8 |
Lindy Waters III 4 | Free Throws Made | DaQuan Jeffries 8 |
Thomas Dziagwa 2 | Steals | Lawson Korita 2 |
Yor Anei 4 | Blocks | N/A |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Oklahoma State | 71 | 44.3 | 11-29 | 6-12 | 19 | 36 | 7 | 5 | 17 |
Tulsa | 74 | 42.4 | 6-22 | 18-21 | 10 | 31 | 0 | 5 | 11 |