The No. 5 Houston Cougars got back to their winning ways by defeating the Oklahoma State Cowboys with a score of 72-63. L.J. Cryer led the Cougars with 18 points, while Milos Uzan added 17 points. J’Wan Roberts contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Terrance Arceneaux added 10 points.

The game was a rebound for Houston after their first Big 12 loss of the season, coming at the hands of Texas Tech. Oklahoma State started strong, jumping to an 18-9 lead and shooting 8 of 10 from the field in the early minutes. However, Houston's defensive pressure and rebounding prowess proved too much for the Cowboys. Houston out-rebounded Oklahoma State 40-24, including an 18-4 advantage in offensive rebounds, which they turned into 16 second-chance points.

Despite missing key players Emanuel Sharp and Ja’Vier Francis due to injuries, Houston managed to recover from a slow start. They made 11 of their final 16 field goals of the first half to take a 39-33 lead into halftime. Oklahoma State cut Houston's lead to 68-63 with 30 seconds remaining, but Mylik Wilson and Cryer each made two free throws to seal the win.

For Oklahoma State, Abou Ousmane scored 16 points, Arturo Dean added 13 points, and Bryce Thompson had 11 points. The Cowboys shot 51% from the field and were 7 of 19 on 3-pointers, but struggled with Houston's defensive pressure and rebounding.

Houston's victory improves their record to 18-4 overall and 10-1 in the Big 12, while Oklahoma State falls to 11-11 overall and 3-8 in the Big 12. The Cougars will travel to Colorado for their next game, while the Cowboys will host Arizona State.

Next up for Houston, the Cougars will travel to Boulder for a meeting with the Colorado Buffaloes on Feb 8. As for the Pokes, Oklahoma State will try to get things back on track when the Cowboys host Arizona State on February 9.