No. 20 BYU Earns Senior Night Win Over Oklahoma State
Mar 9, 2024, 9:09 PM | Updated: Mar 11, 2024, 2:04 pm
PROVO, Utah – No. 20 BYU basketball wanted “payback” against Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys handed BYU a head-scratching defeat in Stillwater last month.
On Saturday night in front of a sold-out Senior Night crowd at the Marriott Center, Oklahoma State wasn’t as opportunistic.
BYU got its payback by defeating Oklahoma State 85-71.
The win brings BYU’s inaugural regular season in the Big 12 to a close. BYU finished the season with a 22-9 overall record, 10-8 in Big 12 play.
BYU’s victory clinches the 5-seed in next week’s Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.
The two seniors who played for BYU on Saturday night had strong showings.
Spencer Johnson, who played in his final game at the Marriott Center, finished with a double-double of 14 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
Fellow senior Jaxson Robinson, who still has the option to return next season, put on a show in potentially his final game in front of the BYU fans.
Robinson scored an early 10 points to get BYU going after a slow start to open the game. He finished the night with 15 points and five rebounds.
Fousseyni Traore was BYU’s high scorer in the game scoring 19 points.
First Half: BYU was in control but held a small lead over Oklahoma State
15:15 – BYU didn’t score in the first 4:08 of game action. They were down 6-0 after Oklahoma State hit a pair of three-pointers. It was a flashback to how the game started in Stillwater.
Aly Khalifa hit a three to get BYU on the board, then Noah Waterman knocked down a corner three after Trevin Knell tipped it out to him. That caused Mike Boynton to burn a timeout. BYU 6, Oklahoma State 6.
11:39 – BYU’s second unit with senior Jaxson Robinson and underclassmen Fousseyni Traore and Richie Saunders checked into the game and the momentum began swinging in favor of the Cougars.
Robinson had a pair of layups that put BYU in front.
Then OSU big man Brandon Garrison knocked down a midrange jumper to tie it up. BYU 10, OSU 10.
7:14 – Jaxson Robinson reached double-figures for scoring in potentially his final home game as a BYU Cougar.
He put together a highlight spin move that led to an and-one after Brandon Garrison blocked the attempt, resulting in a goal tend. BYU 18, OSU 14.
3:21 – BYU is up to five fast break points to Oklahoma State’s zero. BYU 28, OSU 21.
Half – Oklahoma State’s Eric Dailey Jr. had a highlight slam dunk to close out the first half. The atmosphere at the Marriott Center felt like BYU was up big, yet they were only up 32-29 on the Pokes. BYU 32, OSU 29.
Second Half: Cougs set the tone early to pull away
15:08 – BYU opened the half on a 16-2 run. The Cougars hit four three-pointers in that stretch, with Spencer Johnson accounting for two of them. BYU 48, OSU 31.
10:51 – BYU reeled off another run, this time an 8-o spurt. Jaxson Robinson got back into the scoring action by hitting a three-pointer.
BYU reached 10 made three-pointers for the game. BYU 60, OSU 37.
7:27 – Oklahoma State went on a 10-2 run to cut BYU’s deficit. BYU 64, OSU 51
3:58 – Oklahoma State freshman center Brandon Garrison was called for a flagrant foul.
BYU’s offense reached the 50% mark for field goal percentage. BYU 72, OSU 59.
Final – Late in the game, Fousseyni Traore appeared to have a clean block and was called for a foul. He protested the call to officials and was called for a technical.
BYU finished the game, knocking down 12 three-pointers as they cruised to a 14-point win. BYU 85, OSU 71.
Up next for BYU basketball
The next time BYU takes the floor will be in postseason play. BYU will play on Wednesday in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament as a 5-seed.
The Cougars will face the winner of Tuesday’s First Round game between these same Oklahoma State Cowboys and UCF Knights. BYU was 2-0 against UCF this season.
Tip-off on Wednesday is at 10:30 a.m. (MT) on ESPN or ESPN2 and KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM).
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
