The Oklahoma State Cowboys blew an 18-point halftime lead, but Phil Forte made a pair of free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining to lift his squad to a 74-72 victory over the Baylor Bears in the quarterfinal round of the 2013 Big 12 Tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Oklahoma State vs. Baylor results: Cowboys defeat Bears, 74-72
Baylor converted a late four-point play to overcome a 20-point deficit on Thursday, but Oklahoma State ultimately prevailed after a controversial foul call just before the end of regulation.
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Marcus Smart's highlight reel dunk sparked the Cowboys to a flawless first half in which they led by as many as 20 points before heading into the break with a 42-24 advantage.
However, Oklahoma State's momentum was curtailed in the second half by Bears guards Pierre Jackson and Gary Franklin. Jackson scored 24 points after the break, while Franklin converted a four-point play with 21 seconds remaining to tie the game.
Forte responded by drawing a foul while driving to the hoop just before the buzzer, calmly sinking both free throws to put the Cowboys back up by two points. Jackson got a good look at a game-winning three-pointer shortly thereafter but couldn’t get it to go down.
Smart led Oklahoma State with 21 points, while Jackson finished with 31 for Baylor. The Cowboys will face Kansas State in the semifinals on Friday.
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