Oklahoma State limited Marquette to nine points in the first 13 ½ minutes of the second half Tuesday night, wiping out a halftime deficit en route to a 70-62 nonconference win in Milwaukee.
Four players scored in double figures for the Cowboys (3-0), led by Rondel Walker with 16 points. Preseason first team All-America guard Cade Cunningham posted 15 points, six rebounds and three steals. Bryce Williams netted 13 points and Isaac Likekele added 11.
Koby McEwen scored a game-high 21 points for the Golden Eagles (2-1) and Jamal Cain contributed 13 points, plus 13 rebounds. But Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year Dawson Garcia, who led the team in scoring through two games, made just 2 of 9 attempts from the floor and finished with four points.
Marquette sank only eight field goals after halftime -- four in the final minute -- and also failed to take care of the ball. Using a 2-2-1 three-quarter court trap and then a 2-3 zone in the halfcourt, Oklahoma State forced 24 turnovers, converting them into 34 points.
Cunningham canned a short hook shot with 14:03 left in the game to snap a 39-39 tie and kick-start a 10-3 run that put the Cowboys ahead for good.
In the first serious test for either team -- both opened with two nonconference victories against opponents they should have beaten -- they came out of the gate sloppy. But Marquette opened up a 19-7 lead when Garcia dunked off a turnover at the 12:27 mark.
Oklahoma State responded by rattling off 15 straight points in just over four minutes, taking a 22-19 edge when Walker hit a short jumper. Back came the Golden Eagles, though, regaining a 31-30 lead on a rare 3-pointer by Theo John, who entered the game with just one in his three-plus seasons.
Jamal Cain drained a 3-pointer with 1:22 left in the half to snap a tie and send Marquette to the locker room ahead 35-32. The Golden Eagles' lead could have been larger but they made just 6 of 11 attempts from the free-throw line.
--Field Level Media
