Field Level Media
Mar 19, 2018
Jeffrey Carroll scored 26 points as Oklahoma State beat Stanford 71-65 Monday night in the second round of the NIT at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater Okla.
Oklahoma State (21-14) will face Southern California or Western Kentucky in the quarterfinals. The Cowboys will get another home game if top-seeded USC loses.
Carroll helped the Cowboys advance by hitting 8 of 15 shots, including 5 of 7 3-pointers. He finished three points shy of his career high and matched a career best for 3-pointers.
The senior swingman also matched the school record for points in an NIT game set by Royce Jeffries against Tulsa in 1990.
Kendall Smith added 19 for Oklahoma State, which advanced despite shooting 35.7 percent from the field and 52.2 percent from the foul line.
Reid Travis led Stanford (19-16) with 14 points and 11 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the season. Michael Humphrey added 15 points and 20 rebounds, but Stanford shot 38.7 percent, missed 12 of 15 3-point attempts, committed 19 turnovers and lost for the second time in its last 14 NIT games.
Carroll scored 11 points as Oklahoma State opened a 17-8 lead with about two minutes remaining in the first. The Cowboys took a 19-10 lead after the opening quarter when Mitchell Solomon hit a buzzer-beating baseline jumper.
Stanford made a move late in the second quarter by cutting a nine-point deficit with a 9-1 run, highlighted by two Travis jumpers. The run cut Oklahoma State's lead to 30-29 by halftime. Stanford continued its run and took a 43-39 lead on a basket by Travis with 3:27 remaining before getting a 47-42 lead through three.
Stanford led 51-49 when Kezie Okpala hit a jumper with 8:05 remaining, but Oklahoma State came back with a 13-3 run and took a 62-54 lead on a 3-pointer by Carroll with 4:43 left.
With about three minutes left, Smith hit an uncontested corner 3-pointer for a 65-55 lead. The Cardinal hung around and were within 65-61 on a 3-pointer by Daejon Davis with 62 seconds left, but Smith knocked down another open corner 3-pointer for a 68-61 lead with 34 seconds to play.
-- Field Level Media