By james art 
BOX SCORE
The Cowboys nearly pulled off an incredible comeback on Sunday, but more offensive inconsistencies proved too much to overcome.
Oklahoma State lost to Texas Tech 64-54 in Lubbock. The Red Raiders led by as many as 18 midway through the second half. OSU cut that lead to three points with five minutes to play, only to score five points from that point on.
Tech started the game on a 12-4 run, with all dozen of those points coming on 3-pointers. However, OSU fought back, getting within a point of the Red Raiders with about five minutes to play in the first half. But just like in the second half, Tech closed better and went into the locker room with a 37-27 lead.
It looked as if the Red Raiders were going to blow out the Cowboys when Kevin Overton hit a pair of free throws midway through the second half to give Tech a 51-33 lead, but then a pair of Pucks stepped up to get them back in it.
Bryce Thompson went on a 6-0 run of his own, with four of those points coming from the foul line. Then Arturo Dean took the baton and started running. Dean scored nine points in about two and a half minutes. When his barrage ended, the Red Raiders’ lead was down to 52-49.
And 1 😤@ArturoDean12 pic.twitter.com/6okjdYHymm
— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) January 26, 2025
But then the Cowboys went cold again. OSU made just one of its last eight shots and the Red Raiders pushed their lead back to double digits by the final buzzer. It was a funky second half. OSU scored four points in the first 10 minutes of the half and five in the final five minutes. Then there was that five-minute stretch between where the Pokes put up 18.
Turnovers and second-chance opportunities were a big problem for the Cowboys. OSU had 22 turnovers, four more than the Pokes have had in any other game this season. Those turnovers resulted in 20 technical points. The second-chance point problem was one that Pokes corrected at halftime, but in the first half, Tech grabbed six offensive boards and scored 10 points off those rebounds.
Thompson scored a game-high 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting. He was 6-for-6 from the foul line. Thompson has scored in double figures in the Cowboys’ last six games, a stretch in which he has averaged 15.7 points on 50 percent shooting. He’s also 27-for-32 (84%) from the line during that time. However, Thompson was responsible for some of the Cowboys’ turnover woes on Sunday, finishing with a game-high five.
Dean had a good day too – especially that few minute stretch when he went nuclear. He finished with 11 points, Dean’s fourth in double figures all season. However, his defensive presence is also a big deal. Dean finished in a neutral plus/minus, which meant OSU scored just as many points as Texas Tech while Dean was on the floor.
The Cowboys fall to 10-9 with the loss and are 2-6 in Big 12 play. They will play Kansas State at 7:00 pm on Wednesday in Manhattan. OSU defeated the Wildcats 79-66 on Jan. 7 at Gallagher-Iba Arena.