Markel Brown records a double-double with team highs in points (22) and rebounds (10).
Aug. 12, 2012
Viladecavalls, Catalonia — Junior Markel Brown recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds, including a three pointer in the final minute to put Oklahoma State ahead for good, as the Cowboys defeated a tougher Barcelona Select team 86-81 here Sunday evening in their second exhibition game of the foreign tour.
Brown was 8-of-14 from the floor, including a pair of three pointers, the last one giving the Cowboys an 82-80 lead with 45 seconds remaining in the contest. On the next defensive possession, Brown stole a cross-court pass and was fouled immediately. He made 1-of-2 free throws, giving OSU a three-point lead at 83-80. On the ensuing play, Nate Higgs turned the ball over, and after getting fouled Le'Bryan Nash, who scored 16 points in the contest, made both free throws to put the Cowboys ahead 85-80 with 19 seconds remaining. Each team went to the line and made 1-of-2 for the final score.
Coach Ruben Filipy added several more athletic players to his squad after Friday's 23-point loss, and it showed. This Select team was more aggressive, both offensively and defensively. Higgs, who played in the post on Friday, stepped out several times beyond the three-point arc, connecting on 5-of-9 and a game-high 23 points.
Oklahoma State fell behind early, trailing 10-2 early in the contest. Brown hit his first trey of the game to cut it to 10-5, and the Pokes went on a 21-11 run to take a 23-21 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second period was tightly contested, and was tied at 41-41 with 30 seconds left before intermission. Brian Williams made a wide-open shot from long range thanks to a drive and dish by Brown, giving OSU a 44-41 halftime lead.
The Cowboys led by as many as 11 in the third quarter, and expanded that lead to 12 with 9:13 remaining in the contest. However, Barcelona would not go away quietly, and went on an 18-6 run to tie the game at 76-all. Freshman Phil Forte hit a three pointer for a 79-76 advantage, but a pair of free throws and a basket by Xavier Guirao gave the Select team its first lead since going ahead 41-40 with a minute to go in the first half. Forty-five seconds later, Brown hit his three pointer.
Brian Williams finished with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, with six rebounds and four steals. Nash added seven rebounds and four assists, while freshman Marcus Spart had six assists, four rebounds and four steals in his second start, joining Nash, Williams, Brown and Michael Cobbins.
Oklahoma State, now 2-0 on its foreign tour, will travel to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands on Monday and play its next game on Tuesday night against the CB Gran Canaria U20 team at 7 pm local time (1 pm CT).
