STILLWATER — The Cowboys are starting in the win column in Year 2 of the Steve Lutz era.
Oklahoma State opened its season Tuesday night against Oral Roberts at Gallagher-Iba Arena, defeating the Golden Eagles 95-71. The Cowboys’ size and shot-making were the catalysts. Lutz earned his second season-opening victory in as many years.
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OSU jumped out to a 22-12 lead thanks to an 11-2 run. Its interior presence and pace of play affected the Golden Eagles early, as big man Parsa Fallah bulldozed his way into a couple of easy buckets at the rim, and guard Jaylen Curry was effective in transition as a scorer and playmaker.
ORU quickly countered with a run of its own, though, knotting the game at 28 with 6:43 left in the first half after holding OSU scoreless for three minutes.
The Cowboys and Golden Eagles continued to trade jabs — ORU made five straight shots to take a 39-37 lead, but OSU responded and took a 50-46 first-half advantage into the locker room after Vyctorius Miller scored five points in less than 40 seconds.
OSU was able to create a bigger cushion in the second half, though, after holding the Golden Eagles to 23% shooting in the first 10 minutes of the period and making three of its first seven 3-point shots.
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With eight minutes left, Fallah stole the ball and jammed in a one-handed fastbreak dunk to give the Cowboys an 81-61 lead, their largest yet. OSU then rode the momentum the rest of the way to secure the win.
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Cowboys use balanced scoring attack
OSU guard Anthony Roy, who averaged 25.7 points at Green Bay last season, missed Tuesday’s game due to a groin injury. Miller and a couple of the Cowboys’ transfer portal pickups helped OSU stay afloat without one of its projected top scorers.
Miller, the LSU transfer guard, tallied 13 first-half points and applied consistent rim pressure. After beating his defender off the dribble several times, ORU was forced to put him at the free-throw line eight times, where Miller went 7 of 8.
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And with the Cowboys up 72-61 with nine minutes left, Miller drilled an and-1 corner 3-pointer that put the GIA crowd on its feet. Miller went 2 of 5 from behind the arc and scored a team-high 21 points.
Fallah and UAB transfer forward Christian Coleman each chipped in double digits, too. Coleman scored 15 on 60% shooting, while Fallah used his size and touch to maneuver his way into a 15-point night, too.
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Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Vyctorius Miller (5) tries to get past Oral Roberts Golden Eagles guard Jack Turner (0) during an NCAA basketball game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (OSU) and Oral Roberts at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.
OSU wins interior battle
On the game’s first play, Fallah drove to the rim and converted a layup with ease. That was a sign of what was to come.
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The Cowboys out-rebounded ORU 52-37 and finished with 15 offensive rebounds. OSU also grabbed 37 defensive rebounds to the Golden Eagles’ 26.
It wasn’t just Fallah who had his way inside, either. Serbian forward Andrija Vukovic scored 11 points on an efficient 4-of-6 shooting and grabbed three offensive rebounds in the process, while Robert Jennings II and Coleman combined for six buckets in the paint.
Coleman secured a team-high 11 rebounds, with Fallah and Curry each grabbing eight. Coleman also became the 10th player in OSU history to record a double-double in his team debut.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State basketball pulls away from ORU in 2025-26 season opener
