Smith's 21 Help Oklahoma State Upset No. 6 Texas Tech 79-71

Kendall Smith scored 21 points to help Oklahoma State stun No. 6 Texas Tech 79-71 on Wednesday night.

Lindy Waters added a career-high 18 points, and Jeffrey Carroll had 14 points to help the Cowboys (16-12, 6-9 Big 12) get a huge boost to their hopes of gaining an NCAA Tournament bid. The Cowboys already had four wins against teams that were ranked in the Top 20 at the time they played -- Florida State, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Kansas.

Oklahoma State shot 52.2 percent overall and 11 of 22 from 3-point range against a Texas Tech team that ranks in the Top 10 nationally in field goal percentage defense and scoring defense.

   

Zhaire Smith scored 18 points, and Jarrett Culver added 15 for Tech (22-6, 10-5), which needed a win to tie Kansas for the Big 12 lead. The Red Raiders lost their second straight after reeling off seven straight wins.

Tech's Keenan Evans, the Big 12's No. 2 scorer, finished with two points on 1-for-7 shooting. He missed the second half of Tech's loss to Baylor last Saturday with a toe injury. He started against Oklahoma State and played 25 minutes.

Smith scored 16 points in the first half to help Texas Tech take a 35-34 lead at the break. Oklahoma State shot 57 percent in the first half but committed 11 turnovers.

Oklahoma State opened the second half with a 9-2 run to take a 43-37 lead and force Texas Tech to call timeout.

   

It didn't help. Back-to-back 3s by Waters and Carroll put the Cowboys up 49-37 just four minutes into the second half. A 3-pointer by Tavarius Shine made it 59-43. In all, Oklahoma State made its first nine field goals in the second half.

   

Tech scored eight straight to make it a game, and that helped put the Red Raiders in position to make a run late. A pair of free throws by Zhaire Smith cut Oklahoma State's lead to 70-66 with just over 2 minutes remaining, but the Cowboys held on at the free throw line.

   

BIG PICTURE

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders hurt their chances of dethroning Kansas for the Big 12 title by losing on the road against an Oklahoma State team that hasn't been impressive at home.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys continue to rise to the occasion in big games for first-year coach Mike Boynton. The Cowboys lost momentum late in the first half but didn't buckle. They were the aggressors to start the second half, and they cut down their turnovers to give themselves more chances to score.