STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Dorenzo Hudson scored 18 points, including four clinching free throws in the final minute, to lead Virginia Tech to a 67-61 win against increasingly shorthanded Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Victor Davila hit two free throws with 1:30 remaining to put the Hokies (11-3) back ahead after Oklahoma State had rallied with 10 straight points to tie it. LeBryan Nash missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer at the other end for the Cowboys (7-6), and Keiton Page missed three more 3-pointers down the stretch.
Oklahoma State starters Jean-Paul Olukemi and Markel Brown both limped off the court with injuries, leaving the Cowboys even more outnumbered after Fred Gulley and Reger Dowell left the program in the past two weeks.
Page scored 21 points to lead Oklahoma State, which got outrebounded 47-24 and gave up 24 second-chance points.
The Hokies also beat Oklahoma State 59-57 the day after Thanksgiving at the NIT Season Tip-Off and had an 11-rebound advantage in that game.
The Cowboys still found a way to get back in it late, trying to overcome a double-digit deficit and win for the third time this season.
Cezar Guerrero hit a 3-pointer and earned two free throws with a drive to the basket to spark the 10-0 burst that allowed Oklahoma State to tie it at 61 on Brian Williams’ 3-pointer from the left side with 1:58 remaining.
Williams then fouled Davila inside, and the senior hit both his foul shots to put the Hokies ahead to stay. Virginia Tech will carry a six-game winning streak into its Atlantic Coast Conference opener next Saturday at Wake Forest.
Cowboys coach Travis Ford said he didn’t know for sure how long Brown or Olukemi would be out. He expressed hope that Olukemi’s right knee was only sprained and said Brown was hit on the backside and reaggravated an injury suffered two games earlier.
Olukemi tried to return after injuring his knee early in the second half, but lasted only 47 seconds before he limped off again with the Cowboys ahead 44-37 with 12:59 remaining.
Virginia Tech pounced after he left, using a 19-3 run to surge ahead. Hudson hit two free throws and a 3-pointer and the Hokies held Oklahoma State to only one basket over a span of nearly 7 minutes. Robert Brown’s driving layup made it 56-47 with 6:18 to play.
Erick Green added 16 points and Dorian Finney-Smith had 10 rebounds for the Hokies.
Williams scored 14 for Oklahoma State, which opens Big 12 play Wednesday night at Texas Tech.
After letting Oklahoma State score the first eight points of the first meeting, it was Virginia Tech that jumped out ahead this time. Olukemi hit a 3-pointer to start the game for the Cowboys, but the Hokies then reeled off the next 11 points.
Williams had three straight buckets during the Oklahoma State comeback, and Markel Brown recovered a lost ball and laid it in on a fast break to tie it at 17.
Jarell Eddie made a jumper, a putback dunk and a 3-pointer as the Hokies pushed back ahead 28-20 before Page provided a spark heading into halftime for Oklahoma State. With the clock running down, he slipped onto his right knee but maintained his dribble and then popped up to drill a 3-pointer from the right wing at the first-half buzzer.