On the opening possession of the second half, Matt Pilgrim gambled for a steal at the top of the key, got a piece of Texas A&M's Bryan Davis and was called for a foul. In his frustration, Pilgrim threw the ball toward the floor and couldn't catch it on its way back up, drawing a technical.
Donald Sloan hit both free throws, and the Aggies went on a 14-0 run en route to a 76-61 victory over Oklahoma State on Senior Night at Reed Arena.
"We were going to be dominant in the second half with or without the technical," A&M head coach Mark Turgeon said. "I thought our energy level was pretty good and we were running right past them. It helped get Sloan going a little bit with the free throws, and then he made a three-point play off the steal."
The victory kept alive the Aggies' (21-8, 10-5) hopes of getting a bye in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament next week.
David Loubeau got loose for a dunk following Sloan's free throws, and then Sloan had a three-point play after a steal. Sloan made another basket inside. Davis followed with two free throws, then Dash Harris hit his second 3.
During the run, the Cowboys used two timeouts, had three turnovers and missed five shots in 3 minutes, 8 seconds.
"We were ready to start the second half, but I thought we were stiff," OSU guard Obi Muonelo said. "They came out a lot hungrier than we did, and we made some plays that aren't winning plays if you want to win the game, missed layups and the technical that hurt us."
The Cowboys (20-9, 8-7) got to within eight at 59-51. However, OSU had a series in which it missed four follow shots, and the Cowboys never again looked as if they would threaten.
The only true suspense was when would Turgeon get seniors Chris Chapman and Shawn Schepel into the game. The two entered in the final minute, while the fans chanted injured senior Derrick Roland's name.
Sloan led the way for the Aggies with 19 points. He got help from Loubeau and B.J. Holmes, who finished with 14 and 12, respectively.
Holmes, who has been nursing a sprained right foot since Saturday, wasn't even sure he would play until midafternoon. He was 4 of 8 from behind the arc as the Aggies tied their Big 12 high for 3-pointers made. A&M finished 10 of 21 from long range, while the Cowboys were 8 of 33.
"Are man-to-man was not good," OSU head coach Travis Ford said. "Our defense was predicated on taking away the drive and the post, and then they start making 3s."
A&M got off to its best shooting start in a Big 12 game.
Four Aggies made their first 3-point attempts, with Khris Middleton sinking two in a row in the first 2:21.
All but one of the treys were from the same spot on the floor, right in front of the coaches on the Oklahoma State bench.
Sloan got it started not long after an emotional Senior Night ceremony.
Middleton then made his two 3s to put A&M up 9-0.
Loubeau interrupted the 3-point display with his little hook along the baseline, and then Harris and Holmes drilled their 3s.
Holmes' trey made it 17-7.
Bryan Davis joined in on the scoring with a drive for two and then a dunk to put A&M up 21-9.
The next time Davis touched the ball it got chippy, with a foul called on Marshall Moses that was followed by technicals on Moses and Davis and another on Holmes.
Keiton Page made the two technical free throws and Davis hit one of two on the foul.
Loubeau made it 24-11 before the Cowboys starting getting back into the game.
See game video.
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