No. 13 Oklahoma St. 67, Baylor 64, OT

<br>WACO, Texas (AP) _ Oklahoma State is proving that it can win the close games, too. <br><br>Tony Allen converted a three-point play with 38 seconds left in overtime and the 13th-ranked Cowboys extended

Wednesday, January 22nd 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WACO, Texas (AP) _ Oklahoma State is proving that it can win the close games, too.

Tony Allen converted a three-point play with 38 seconds left in overtime and the 13th-ranked Cowboys extended the nation's longest winning streak to 13 games by beating Baylor 67-64 on Tuesday night for their second tight victory in nine days.

``The competitive spirit came through,'' said Victor Williams, who had 16 points for the Cowboys. ``You have to have something deep in your stomach to win a game like that. It came down to who wanted it more.''

The Cowboys (15-1, 4-0 Big 12) blew a 10-point lead in the second half, but Allen scored nine of his 17 points in the last 6:31 of regulation and overtime. The final points came after he forced a turnover.

Oklahoma State started its streak with 10 straight wins by an average margin of 17 points. The only one decided by less than 10 points was a 64-61 win over Michigan State on Nov. 30.

While the Cowboys were coming off a 76-56 blowout of then-No. 11 Missouri on Saturday, a game they led by as many as 35 points, that followed a 48-46 win over then-No. 5 Oklahoma when Williams made a jumper with 3.6 seconds left.

Baylor (9-6, 0-4) prevented another blowout, but couldn't pull off the upset.

``We thought we had the game under control at 42-32. We quit playing and it turned into a dogfight,'' Sutton said. ``In the end, it came down to winning and experience. Our players are always looking for ways to win.''

Allen, a junior college transfer and Oklahoma State's leading scorer at 16 points a game, had a season-low seven points against Missouri. He bounced back by shooting 8-of-13 with four steals.

The Cowboys trailed 64-63 with just under a minute left in overtime when Allen forced a turnover. With play stopped momentarily, Melvin Sanders stopped along press row and told reporters, ``What a good game. This is what it's all about.''

After the inbounds pass, Sanders made it even better for the Cowboys. He got the ball to Allen, who made a nifty move around defenders along the baseline for the go-ahead layup and then added the free throw to make it 66-64.

``That's just pure talent,'' Cowboys coach Eddie Sutton said.

Sutton doesn't allow Allen to talk to reporters after games. For now, Allen's play will have to do the talking, and it spoke volumes against the Bears.

``When we needed the big play, Tony made it,'' said Ivan McFarlin, who added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Cowboys.

Baylor had one more chance, but with the shot clock winding down and Allen in his face, Terrance Thomas couldn't get off a desperation shot with 2.5 seconds left. Williams then hit a free throw after being fouled on the inbounds pass.

Lawrence Roberts had 21 points and 17 rebounds for Baylor, forcing overtime when he made a 3-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation. R.T. Guinn also had 21 points, including 5-of-12 3-pointers.

``The loss is a real disappointment because we did everything in great team effort,'' Guinn said. ``Losing close doesn't make it any easier.''

Roberts scored the Bears' only points in overtime, stealing a pass from Williams and driving for a layup to start the extra period.

After Sanders hit a 3-pointer to put Oklahoma State ahead, Roberts had his tip-in to put Baylor ahead 64-63. But the Bears didn't score the last two minutes.

Williams, who sat out for five minutes after picking up his fourth foul with 10:31 left, also had 16 points. Sanders added 15 for the Cowboys in their 11th straight win over Baylor the past five seasons.

Williams missed a 3-pointer at the end of regulation after Roberts had tied it at 60.

Oklahoma State started the second half with a 9-1 run, building a 42-32 lead _ its largest _ when Allen scored inside with 17:21 left.

Two 3-pointers by Guinn kept Baylor close. The 6-foot-10 center then put the Bears ahead 49-48 _ their first lead since midway through the first half and only one before overtime _ with a short turnaround jumper with 9:11 left.

The Bears never extended that lead, and Oklahoma State was back in front when Allen had a steal and a layup with 6:31 left to make it 51-49.