OSU Falls To West Virginia In Season Finale

Oklahoma State men's basketball took on West Virginia in its season finale, falling 81-72 at the final buzzer.

West Virginia won the tip, but the OSU got on the board first with a trey from Jeff Newberry.

By the 12 minute mark, the Mountaineers led 20-16 as the two teams went head-to-head, both shooting over 70 percent from the field. A few minutes later, West Virginia took its largest lead of the game, (25-20). At this point, Le'Bryan Nash led the Cowboys with eight points and two rebounds.

The Cowboys hit a scoring drought and stayed cold, until Newberry sank another needed three. This trimmed the Mountaineers lead 28-23.

Oklahoma State's five-point deficit quickly turned to ten with 4:16 before the half.

Phil Forte finally got on the board for OSU right before halftime. Forte's cold first half partially contributed to the Cowboys trailing 39-33 before the second. A major factor was West Virginia's defense; the Mountaineers forced turnovers and limited second chance points.

West Virginia escalated its lead to 12, just five minutes into the second (49-37). At this point, Newberry was keeping the Cowboys afloat with 14 points, (twice as many as his average).

If Oklahoma State was going to pull out a win, Forte and Nash needed to contribute more than they were offensively. You could tell Nash's ankle was bothering him from going down on it earlier in the game. 

With 13 minutes on the clock, OSU continued to struggle offensively. Lack of rotation and rushing shots was very evident in the Cowboys offense. Surely, the Mountaineers tough defense contributed to OSU's poor offensive efforts.

OSU finally had a shift in momentum further down the stretch. The team's 7-0 run sparked hope for a Cowboys victory. Forte topped his team's run with a three, cutting the Mountaineers lead 53-46.

Forte went on to hit another deep one, attempting to help his team stay in the game.

Oklahoma State later had a chance to decrease West Virginia's lead to five, but missed free throws by Tyree Griffin omitted that opportunity.

Turnovers and free throws continued to hurt OSU. Closer to the end, the game turned into a free throw competition that OSU was losing.

Newberry continued to lead his team, keeping them afloat with 22 points and helping shave the Mountaineers lead to just seven. West Virginia prevented a comeback, answering back nearly every time OSU scored.

OSU failed to catch up, losing 81-72.

Next Up: Big 12 Tournament

The Cowboys are currently No. 7 seed in the tournament and scheduled to play on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m., but if Texas beats Kansas State, the team will get a No. 6 seed and play Thursday at 8:00 p.m.