Cowboys hold off Sooners for Bedlam victory

Examine the box score and you probably won't notice Le'Bryan Nash's three assists. It will look rather minuscule next to his game-high 21 points and eight rebounds.

But dig a little deeper, and those three helpers paint a better picture of Oklahoma State's 72-65 win over Oklahoma on Monday night.

Sunday afternoon, while watching game-film from the Cowboys' brutal offensive performance against Texas on Saturday, coach Travis Ford noticed poor spacing. In simpler terms, six assists and 21 turnovers as a team wasn't going to cut it.

So he quickly installed a new gameplan, spread out the offense and allowed his talented freshman more room on the perimeter.

The result -- less Le'Bryan in the post, more points on the scoreboard.

"We're trying to get him in better spots to score," Ford said. "We're wanting to try and get him in some situations where he can take guys one-on-one. He's getting better."

Through 25 minutes, the adjustment allowed him to showcase his offensive talent, scoring 17 points and staking OSU to a 48-35 lead.

But OU's defense began to collapse, pressuring Nash to pass as recent teams have had success with. But instead of turnovers and frustration, the freshman delivered smart decisions and three assists.

A nice handoff to Keiton Page in transition. Three points. A no-look dish to Markel Brown for a thunderous dunk, followed by a nice drop-off to Brown for an easy lay-in. Four quick points and a 17-point lead.

"I'm playing on the perimeter more, which is giving me time to play my game," Nash said. "I can pass the ball well and my teammates know that."

In a brief eight-minute stretch, Nash had equaled his career-high of three assists.

OSU fans heard about his all-around game after his commitment. They finally saw it in his first Bedlam.

"We started the year thinking he was going to be the low-post scorer for us, but that's just not his strength," Ford said. "Not that he can't do it, but he is better on the perimeter."

And the offense benefited. 

Page dropped in 15 points. Brian Williams and Michael Cobbins continued strong play with 13 and 9, respectively, and the Cowboys improved to 9-2 overall, 2-1 in Big 12 play.

Gone were the forced entry-passes and sloppy turnovers. Here was a balanced attack that produced 72 points for the first time since a Dec. 7 nonconference win at Missouri State.

Not an incredible performance, but certainly improved from the 49-point effort in Austin.

"We know our offense is going to come to us," Page said. "Tonight, we stepped it up."

Combine that offensive effort with a typically stiff defense (OU shot 32 percent from the field) and it equaled a much-needed Bedlam win - improving OSU to 8-0 in various events this academic year against the Sooners.

"Coach Ford was telling us pregame that this was our arch-rival," Nash said. "It feels good getting that Bedlam win. Now I can go home and brag about it."