No. 24 Oklahoma State takes down No. 6 Texas in wild 2OT thriller

STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State superstar Cade Cunningham might rather forget the first 39 minutes of Saturday’s double-overtime 75-67 upset of No. 6-ranked Texas.

But it's the final 11 he’ll cherish.

Days after Cunningham was unable to convert an early go-ahead layup in clutch time in a loss at TCU, his decision making was better.

He hit a tying three-pointer in the final minute of regulation. More importantly, he hit a step-back 3 with 1:38 remaining in double overtime to seal the game.

No. 24 Oklahoma State is now 12-5 overall and 5-5 in Big 12 play entering Monday’s game at No. 22 Kansas:

Here are three takeaways:

Cade’s up-and-down day

This was not Cade Cunningham’s best day.

He made just 3 of 16 shots in regulation. He committed some unforced turnovers. He was in foul trouble.

Yet, he still won the game for Oklahoma State with clutch plays.

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He tied the game at 59 in the second half with 54 seconds remaining, making a 3-pointer.

In the first overtime, he nearly won the game, stealing the inbound pass with 4.4 seconds left. But he rushed the easy basket and missed.

In the second overtime, he made the clutch 3-pointer with 1:38 remaining.

All in all, Cunningham finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

Boone steps up

The Cowboys were without freshman forward Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, who had double doubles in three of the past four games, after he suffered an injury in Friday’s practice.

That put big pressure on Kalib Boone to deliver.

And he did.

Boone was dynamic around the basket offensively, finishing with 22 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. 

He wreaked havoc on Texas big men Jericho Sims and Kai Jones. Boone used his nifty footwork for strong baskets.

He came down with a crucial rebound in the final minute of regulation, setting up the last shot by Cunningham

Boone had a big dunk in the first overtime, along with a key block in double overtime.

It was exactly what Oklahoma State needed.

MORE BIG 12

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Strong first-half finish

The Cowboys looked in trouble early, falling behind nine just 12 minutes into the game.

But Cunningham hit a 3-pointer and the Cowboys tightened up their defense, forcing Texas to go scoreless on 13 different possessions down the stretch.

Oklahoma State ended the half on a 21-6 run.

In that span, Texas went scoreless for nearly 4 minutes. Oklahoma State went on a 12-0 run to take the lead.

That allowed the Cowboys to take a 35-29 halftime lead, which it extended to 39-29 quickly in the second half before Texas rallied.