CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — Xavier Johnson scored 32 points and Southern Illinois held off Oklahoma State for a 70-68 victory on Tuesday night.
Oklahoma State trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half, but tied it three times inside the final four minutes. Javon Small’s two free throws for the Cowboys knotted it for the final time, 66-66. Clarence Rupert’s three-point play for Southern Illinois made it 69-66.
Small added two more free throws with 17 seconds left to pull to 69-68, but he missed a layup and Quion Williams missed a jumper on the Cowboys’ final possession. Kennard Davis Jr. added a free throw to end it.
Johnson, who ranks fourth in the country in scoring at 23.1 points per game, shot 9 of 22 from the field and made 13 of 15 free throws. Rupert added 13 points and Trent Brown scored 12 for Southern Illinois (6-2).
Small made three from long range and all eight of his free throws and finished with 25 points on 7-of-15 shooting to lead Oklahoma State (3-5), which shot 39% (26 of 66) from the floor. Jarius Hicklen added 12 points on four 3s. Williams had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Salukis used a 19-5 run for a 55-45 lead with 11:34 to play. The Cowboys answered with a 17-7 surge that tied it 62-all with 3:52 remaining.
Southern Illinois is 6-2 against Oklahoma State including a 61-60 win in Stillwater last season.
Oklahoma State plays Tulsa at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center on Sunday. Southern Illinois hosts Austin Peay on Dec. 12.
