After leading most of the game, the Pokes went cold down the stretch.

In Marcus Smart's first true road game, he didn't disappoint. The freshman posted his first double-double of his collegiate career with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while also adding 6 assists and 2 steals, but it still wasn't enough as the Cowboys fell to Virginia Tech 81-71.

The final score doesn't really reflect the flow of the game, as the Cowboys hung in there throughout the entire game. The biggest storyline was freshman Phil Forte not being able to convert his shots. He finished with just 5 points on 2/11 shooting.

Despite his ice-cold day, Le'Bryan Nash, Kamari Murphy and Markel Brown picked up the slack. They combined for 42 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in the game.

Virginia Tech hung close despite trailing most of the game, and in the second half they finally found the recipe used to eventually get the win. Instead of settling for outside shots, they began attacking the paint more frequently, and a depleted Oklahoma State front court couldn't figure out a counter-attack strategy.

Countless times, the Hokies would miss a short shot, but because they packed so many players into the paint, they'd grab offensive rebounds and get easy put backs.

They finished with 37 boards to OSU's 29, and that was the dagger that finished off the Cowboys.

The Cowboys return to action on Wednesday when they host the University of South Florida at 8 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena.


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