Brown scores late in OT as Cowboys beat Bears

(AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)

By MURRAY EVANS

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) As Markel Brown steamed down the court in the final seconds of overtime, he looked at the clock once, then twice, and decided to try to get to the rim.

He did, just in time for Oklahoma State.

Brown's lay-in with two-tenths of a second left - which followed a blocked shot at the other end by teammate Michael Cobbins - lifted No. 22 Oklahoma State to a 69-67 win over Baylor on Wednesday night and extended the Cowboys' winning streak to four games.

Marcus Smart scored 14 points, albeit on 4-of-21 shooting, and Brown added 13 for Oklahoma State (16-5, 6-3 Big 12 Conference), which blew a 14-point lead in the final 7:40 of regulation and twice trailed by three points in overtime. The Cowboys found a way to win despite shooting 36.1 percent from the field (26 of 72) and 14.3 percent from 3-point range (3 of 21).

"It was just a very gutsy performance by our guys," Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. "I thought they hung in there. We've figured out some crazy ways to win games lately."

Crazy would be an apt word to describe the game's frantic final moments. Baylor (14-8, 5-4) had a chance to win, but Cobbins blocked a shot attempt by A.J. Walton under the basket with about six seconds left.

"I figured we had come too far to just give up a layup right there at the end," Cobbins said. "I just went up and tried to get it and thank God I got it."

The ball found its way to Brown, who raced to the other end.

"I was just trying to beat the clock, as fast as I can," Brown said.

Ford said Brown - who went 4-of-17 from the field - made the right play.

"I was hoping he would get to the rim, because so many players pull up," Ford said. "So many players don't think they have enough time. But you've got more time than you think you do."

Brown intercepted a desperation inbound pass by Baylor's Jacob Neubert to end the game.

"You'll sleep better tonight than I will," Baylor coach Scott Drew told reporters after the game.

Oklahoma State hasn't lost since falling to Baylor on Jan. 21 in Waco, Texas. The Cowboys' streak includes a road win on Saturday at No. 2 Kansas, an effort that vaulted Oklahoma State back into the Top 25.

Baylor lost its third straight game, its longest losing streak six dropping six straight in 2009. Pierre Jackson, the Big 12's leading scorer, had 24 points, 16 of those in the game's final 12 1/2 minutes, and added eight assists to pad his conference lead in that category. But he also committed 11 of the Bears' 16 turnovers.

The Bears had won three straight and eight of their last 12 games against Oklahoma State before Wednesday.

"I think everybody saw a great game for TV," Drew said. "It was a typical Big 12 game - two teams battling out there. It stinks to be on this end of it. I'm proud of the guys, how we fought back and gave ourselves a chance to win. Credit Oklahoma State for making a big block and having the court awareness to get a shot at the other end."

The Cowboys started 1-of-13 from the field before rallying for a 24-22 halftime lead. They trailed 32-28 when Le'Bryan Nash - who had gone scoreless in the first half - made his second basket in the first three minutes after halftime.

That ignited a 12-2 run, capped by an alley-oop dunk, with Smart lobbing to Brown with 13:40 left to make it 40-34 and igniting a roar from the Gallagher-Iba Arena crowd.

Oklahoma State extended its lead to 54-40 on a 3-pointer by Phil Forte with 7:40 left - the Cowboys' first of the game. But Jackson had two 3s and a layup during a 17-3 run by the Bears. Cory Jefferson hit a lay-in with 1:52 left to tie the game at 57.

Smart, who went 4-of-21 from the field, hit a 6-foot leaner with 1:23 left to put the Cowboys back ahead, but Jackson made two free throws with 6.5 seconds left. The Cowboys had a chance to win at the regulation buzzer, but Brown missed a 3-point attempt from the left wing.

Jackson opened the overtime with a pair of 3-pointers and the Bears were up 67-64 after a dunk by Jefferson with 1:46 left. Forte's 3-pointer with 1:11 left pulled the Cowboys even.

Jackson dribbled the ball out of bounds with 43.5 seconds left, but Smart missed a contested shot from underneath the basket with 15 seconds left, setting the stage for the final sequence.

Nash scored 10 points and Cobbins had nine points, 13 rebounds and two blocks for the Cowboys.

Jefferson added 18 points for Baylor, while Isaiah Austin had 12 rebounds go to with seven points - more than seven below his scoring average.

Updated February 6, 2013