Travis Ford, Jeff Newberry On Escaping Kansas State In OT

The 45-minute fight wasn't pretty, but the Cowboys finally found a way to win a close one in conference play. 

Focusing on what they could control, effort and intensity, made a big difference.

An inspired start on both offense and defense helped the Cowboys build a 12-point lead ten minutes in. But by halftime, Kansas State had crept within five, and ten minutes into the second half the Wildcats took their first lead.

This time, it didn't slip away, even though Jeff Newberry's 40-footer didn't beat the buzzer at the end of regulation, sending the game into overtime.

"I knew that it didn't get off in time,” said Newberry. “I was telling everybody to calm down. If it was good that would've been a great feeling, the kind of shot you dream of as a kid."

In the extra five minutes, the Cowboys simply made more plays and more free throws, hanging on for a 58-55 victory.

"I'm just really proud of them for sticking together and staying positive,” said OSU head coach Travis Ford. “[They were] living in their own tunnel, not listening to outside things, living in their own tunnel, living in their own world in that locker room."

Newberry says his team needed the win badly. "It's never good when you lose. And we went on the stretch that we went through of not getting a win and stuff of that nature, so it just felt good as a team."

Three players finished in double figures on a tough shooting day. Leyton Hammonds led the way with 13 points and Tavarius Shine added 11, but Newberry’s stat line summed up OSU's success. He was only 3-of-12 from the field but finished with ten points, ten rebounds, five assists, three turnovers, two blocks and three steals.

"I just came out, tried to get a few deflections, get aggressive early [and] see how my shot was falling,” explained Newberry. “My teammates just stayed behind me. My teammates and my coaches kept me going. I didn't play as good of a game as I wanted to on the offensive end but our defense created our offense as I always say, so that was a good thing."

For the Cowboys, Saturday was a game of effort over aesthetics, securing the team a third win in Big 12 play.

"It's no secret. We're going to have to have a total team effort and have guys step up for us to be successful, plain and simple,” said Ford. “We need to be aggressive, take a few chances, you know, live on the edge a little bit and that's not usually us."

Next, the Cowboys will hit the road to take on Kansas on Monday. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m.