STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- Jeffrey Carroll scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds to help Oklahoma State defeat Texas Tech 80-63 on Saturday.
Phil Forte III had 15 points and five rebounds and Jawun Evans scored all 15 of his points in the second half, along with six assists, for Oklahoma State (20-9, 9-7 Big 12), which has won five in a row and 10 of its last 11.
Keenan Evans scored 18 points and Justin Gray had 16 points and matched a career-high with 11 rebounds for Texas Tech (17-12, 5-11), which has lost three straight and five of its last six.
Oklahoma State led by double digits for most of the first half and went into halftime with a 45-27 lead, but Texas Tech came out strong in the second, outscoring the Cowboys 20-8 over the first seven minutes to cut the advantage to 53-47 after Shadell Millinghaus' layup.
Baskets from Evans and Brandon Averette quickly restored the Cowboys' 10-point lead and they led by at least eight for the rest of the way.
BIG PICTURE
Texas Tech: After two consecutive overtime defeats, the Red Raiders had a difficult time getting started in the first half, but showed what they are capable of in the second half, controlling the tempo and imposing their will for the first 13-14 minutes. Unfortunately, Oklahoma State pushed back again and Tech once again fell short.
Oklahoma State: For a while, it looked like the Cowboys were going to cruise to another big victory, but they wound up having to fend off a furious second half comeback attempt. Facing some adversity and overcoming it can only help them moving forward.
UP NEXT
Texas Tech's next game is at home on Wednesday against Texas, where they will be looking to avenge a 62-58 loss to the Longhorns on Feb. 1.
Oklahoma State is on the road Tuesday against Iowa State, where they look to avenge a 96-86 loss at home on January 11.
