Oklahoma State basketball: Phil Forte, Marcus Smart lead Cowboys to win in Puerto Rico

With OSU trailing 65-61 and standing scoreless more than three minutes into the extra period, Forte drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:29 to play, then sank three free throws after being fouled while shooting a 3 on the Cowboys' next trip.

The foul shots put OSU up 67-65, before Marcus Smart added two more free throws in the closing seconds.

The Cowboys, 2-0, advance to play Tennessee in one of Friday's semifinal matchups. The Volunteers beat UNC-Asheville 75-68. Tip time is 9:30 a.m.

Before the final two minutes of overtime, Forte had managed but two points on 1-of-5 shooting.

“I knew Phil Forte was going to make a shot,” said Cowboys coach Travis Ford. “At some point, he was going to make a shot.”

In OSU's season-opening 73-65 win over UC Davis, Forte scored 11 of his 13 points in the final 10 1/2 minutes, when he drilled three 3-pointers, including one to send the Cowboys in front. He had five 3s and 19 points in OSU's exhibition win.

This time, despite the early struggles, Forte was ready to take the big shot, especially with Smart, his longtime teammate, leading the break.

“Playing with Marcus since the third grade, I knew it was coming to me,” said Forte, who came to OSU with Smart from Flower Mound Marcus High School in Texas. “We've run that play so many times before, where we're in transition, he's in the middle, I'm on the wing and he does a look and just pitches it to me.