Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
18-10, 6-9Big12
TCU
9-18, 0-15Big12
Oklahoma State Defeats TCU, 76-54
February 24, 2014 | Cowboy Basketball
Feb. 24, 2014
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Marcus Smart scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half and Phil Forte matched his season high with 23 as Oklahoma State beat TCU 76-54 Monday night.
Forte and Smart were playing in front of a friendly crowd not far from the high school they led to a pair of Texas state championships before coming to the Cowboys together.
Forte scored 16 in the first half and ended up going 5 of 10 from 3-point range as Oklahoma State (18-10, 6-9 Big 12) hit 14 from long range and won its second straight after stopping a seven-game losing streak in Smart's return.
Kyan Anderson scored 15 to lead the Horned Frogs (9-18, 0-15), who dropped to 2-31 in two Big 12 seasons.
Smart didn't look like himself early, missing his first five shots and going 1 for 12 before a long 3-pointer that restored Oklahoma State's double-digit lead in the second half.
The sparse and mostly quiet crowd actually favored the Cowboys. Three of their top four scorers - Smart, Forte and Le'Bryan Nash - are from the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Forte and Smart combined for the sequence that put the game away. Forte hit a 3-pointer and stole the inbound pass, finding Smart on the left wing for another from beyond the arc to give the Cowboys a 67-46 lead with 4:38 remaining.
Smart left the game after a 3-pointer that made it 73-51.
TCU had pulled within six on a 10-0 run midway through the second half. Karviar Shepherd missed a jumper that would have made it a four-point game, and Brian Williams had a put-back on a missed 3 by Forte to end the run.
After Anderson missed a layup on a wild drive, Smart hit a long 3-pointer for a 52-41 lead, and TCU coach Trent Johnson was called for a technical foul after calling a timeout. Forte's free throws pushed the lead back to 15.
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