Oklahoma State returned the favor to Utah.

After the Cowboys were blitzed by the Runnin’ Utes in a visit to Salt Lake City three weeks ago, Oklahoma State ran away with an 81-72 victory over Utah Saturday in a midwestern matchup at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

3 takeaways

Oklahoma State had an answer for any positive Utah momentum. The Cowboys got off to a strong start, going up 19-7 just seven minutes into the game on Bryce Thompson’s third 3-pointer of the contest.

While Utah was able to fight back and cut its deficit to two at 21-19, that was a rare moment of momentum for the Utes. Oklahoma State had an answer whenever Utah was able to get something going, and the Cowboys never trailed.

Oklahoma State used a 13-3 run early in the second half to go up 15 points at 56-41, and the Utes were simply never able to string together enough defensive stops to ever seriously threaten the Cowboys.

The closest Utah ever got after that moment was seven points late in the matchup.

Thompson led all scorers with 20 points, shooting 6 of 10 from the field and 4 of 4 from 3-point range while going 4 of 4 from the free-throw line.

He also had seven rebounds and two assists before fouling out.

Marchelus Avery was the only other Cowboy in double-figures with 17, though Arturo Dean and Pat Suemnick each had nine and big man Abou Ousmane added eight points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Oklahoma State ended up shooting 48.9% for the game, including 54.5% in the second half, while making 8 of 20 3-pointers.

Turnovers and free throws hurt Utah in the first half. While both teams shot over 40% in the first half — the Cowboys shot 44% to the Utes’ 45.8% — what really hurt Utah in the opening stanza were turnovers and free throws.

The Utes turned the ball over seven times in the opening 20 minutes, leading to 11 Oklahoma State points. Utah turned three Cowboys turnovers into three points before halftime.

Utah was also whistled for 13 first-half fouls, which led to Oklahoma State shooting 16 first-half free throws, and the Cowboys made 14.

The Utes, meanwhile, were 7 of 9 from the charity stripe during the first half, as they went into the break down 41-33.

Oklahoma State stayed efficient at the line, going 27 of 36 for the game, while Utah ended up 21 of 30.

Ezra Ausar got going in the second half, but it wasn’t enough. Utah’s best scoring threat in Big 12 play, Ezra Ausar, was held to just two points in the first half.

He finally started to make an impact in the second half, getting to the hoop early in the half and making that a priority over the final 20 minutes.

Ausar ended up scoring 18 points in the matchup, shooting 6 of 10 from the floor, though he made just 6 of 12 free throws. He also had three rebounds, one block and a steal to a pair of turnovers.

Gabe Madsen had his moments, too, scoring 15 points and making four 3-pointers on 5 of 15 shooting. The four 3-pointers were the most he’s made in a game in over three weeks.

Mike Sharavjamts (11 points) and Keanu Dawes (10) also scored in double-figures, but the offensive production wasn’t enough to overcome a poor defensive effort.

The Utes struggled more offensively in the second half, too, hitting only 35.5% of their shots in the final 20 minutes on their way to 40% for the game.

What’s next

The Utes (12-9, 4-6 Big 12) next return home for their only home game in their first four matchups to start February. Utah will host Big 12 last-place team Colorado (9-11, 0-9 Big 12) next Wednesday.

The Buffaloes play at TCU on Sunday before traveling to face Utah.