Forte's 3 lifts Oklahoma State past rival Oklahoma

[January 31, 2017]  NORMAN, Okla. -- Phil Forte had been a part of an Oklahoma State win over Oklahoma before.

It had been awhile, though.

Forte's 3-pointer with 11 seconds left lifted the Cowboys to a wild, come-from-behind 68-66 win over the Sooners on Monday night at Lloyd Noble Center.

The Sooners had the lead with the ball in the final seconds but Jawun Evans wrestled the ball away from Oklahoma's Jordan Woodard shortly after the inbounds, giving the Cowboys another chance.

Evans missed a layup that would have put the Cowboys up but he batted the ball to Forte on the perimeter off the miss and Oklahoma State's all-time leading 3-pointer knocked down the open shot to put the Cowboys ahead.

It was Forte's third 3-pointer of the game.

Evans was fantastic once again in Bedlam, scoring 24 points with a combination of drives to the basket, outside shooting and 11 free throws.

Kameron McGusty had another big game for the Sooners (8-13, 2-7 Big 12), scoring 22 points. But the freshman couldn't elevate over Jeffrey Carroll just before the buzzer as Carroll was able to get a piece of McGusty's attempted game-winner to give the Cowboys (14-8, 3-6) their first win in Norman in 13 tries.

Oklahoma had beaten the Cowboys seven consecutive times overall.

This one wasn't easy, though, despite the Sooners' recent struggles.

Oklahoma State led by 10 after Brandon Averette's jumper with 12:30 remaining put the Cowboys up 53-43 to cap off a 15-4 run.

 Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Phil Forte III (13) drives to the basket against Oklahoma Sooners center Jamuni McNeace (4) during the first half at Lloyd Noble Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

But the Sooners, as they've done plenty of times this season, answered with a streak of their own.

Dante Buford scored seven quick points, corner threes from each side assisted by a driving Woodard, to cut the lead. Before the stretch, Woodard hadn't had an assist since Jan. 23 against Texas.

Buford, who sat out Saturday's Oklahoma loss to Florida due to repeated tardiness the week before, scored 11 points in a season-high 21 minutes.

Oklahoma State plays at West Virginia on Saturday while Oklahoma travels to Texas Tech.

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