LAS VEGAS (AP) — Oklahoma State has been playing under the radar this season.
That may not be the case much longer after the Cowboys stayed unbeaten and rolled to the Las Vegas Invitational championship early Sunday morning, defeating Utah 77-55.
James Anderson, the tournament most valuable player, scored a game-high 24 points for the Cowboys (6-0). He was 13 of 14 from the free-throw line, and added five assists and three steals.
“If we’re ranked (in the Top 25) this week, it will be big for us,” Anderson said. “One of our goals is to be ranked and stay ranked.”
Oklahoma State, which has won by an average margin of 22 points this season, also beat Bradley, 68-57, during the Vegas Invitational.
“It’s a great feeling,” Anderson said of the tournament championship. “I want to experience more of it.”
Obi Muonelo added 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting for Oklahoma State, and Marshall Moses added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Jay Watkins had 14 points and nine rebounds for Utah (3-3), which upset No. 20 Illinois on Friday. Chris Hines had 10 points for the Utes, who were held to 33 percent shooting.
After Utah jumped to a 7-2 advantage, the Cowboys went on a 17-0 run and never trailed again. Oklahoma State led 44-26 at intermission.
The Utes shot 7 of 22 in the first half, after shooting 7 of 29 the night before against Illinois.
“Defense was the key to the game,” Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford said. “It was the best 40 minutes we played all year. In (Anderson), we have one of the best young players in the country. He really did a great job.”
The Cowboys expanded their lead in the second half, building it to as many as 24 on three occasions.
“We used a lot of energy last night,” Utah coach Jim Boylen said. “Anytime you’re down, the energy you have to use to get back in the game, it just wears you out. I was disappointed in our shooting and our ability to score.”
This is the third time this decade the Cowboys have reached the Vegas Invitational finals. In 2001 they defeated TCU, and in 2005 lost to Boston College. Both those tournaments were held at a local high school gym, which seats 2,000. The tournament is now at the 8,000-seat Orleans Arena.
This was the first time Oklahoma State and Utah have met in 28 years.
