Cowboys handle Wichita State in NIT opener

STILLWATER — Bryyyce Thompson had 23 points in Oklahoma State’s 89-79 victory over Wichita State in the opening round of the 2025 National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

OSU (16-17) advance to the second round and will face the Southern Methodist University Mustangs, who beat Northern Iowa 73-63 on Wednesday night, at 2 p.m. Sunday at Moody Coliseum on the SMU campus in Dallas.

Wichita State was outrebounded for the second straight game, 46-42, including 17 OSU offensive rebounds. The Cowboys scored 21 points off those second chances.

OSU shot 44 percent overall and 9-of-21 from 3-point range.

Wichita State got out to an early 16-10 lead behind 11 combined points from Quincy Ballard (six) and Corey Washington (five). After Ballard’s dunk put the Shockers up six, OSU answered with a 10-0 run to take its first lead at 20-16 with 11:25 left in the opening half.

Washington briefly snapped the run with a dunk, only to see Thompson score the next five points to put the Cowboys up seven. Thompson had 15 of OSU’s first 25 points.

The Cowboys kept the foot on the gas, extending their lead to as many as 15 points at 37-22 with 4:42 remaining until halftime.

Wichita State was not about to pack it in. The Shockers punched back with a 13-3 run to close the first half, pulling within five at the break at 40-35. Xavier Bell (12 points), Ballard (12) and Washington (nine) combined for all but two of Wichita State’s 35 first-half points. The only other Shocker to score in the half was Bijan Cortes.

The second half started much the same way as the first as Wichita State scored the first seven points to leap back in front 42-40. The next five-plus minutes would be both teams trading scores, as neither team led by more than three points.

After a pair of Justin Hill free throws tied the game at 52-all, OSU scored on its next three possessions to go up 59-52.

A Harlond Beverly driving lay-up stopped the 7-0 run, but it would be answered by another OSU 8-0 spurt behind a pair of 3-pointers and an offensive rebound putback.

The Cowboys hung on to a double digit lead for essentially the final 10 minutes. Wichita State never pulled closer than seven the rest of the way.

In defeat, Bell became the 49th Shocker to eclipse 1,000 career points on a 3-pointer early in the first half. He came into the game just a point away from the 1K club. He finished with a game-high 24 points in his final collegiate game, his eighth 20-point game of the season.

Washington and Ballard both recorded double-doubles. Washington logged 21 points and 11 rebounds on 9-of-16 shooting, while Ballard had 19 points and 15 rebounds. His 15 rebounds were one off a career high.

The trio of Bell, Washington and Ballard accounted for 64 of the team’s 79 points.