Oklahoma State men's basketball: Cowboys deflect road rage

“I don't think it's part of playing on the road,” freshman guard Marcus Smart said of OSU's rough shooting night. “Teams are going to have games like that, where things just aren't falling. It was one of those nights.

“You've got to limit those nights to as few as possible. But I don't think it has anything to do with playing on the road.”

The Cowboys haven't enjoyed the easiest opening to their conference road schedule: Kansas State, Oklahoma and Baylor, teams that are a combined 11-2 in league play.

The next opportunity is only tougher: at Big 12 unbeaten Kansas, Feb. 2.

“You can't look at all the road losses,” said OSU coach Travis Ford, “every game is an individual game. It's not the whole; every game is an individual game.

“We keep doing the things we did tonight, we'll win some road games. I just hope we don't shoot like that again.”

JACKSON COMES THROUGH FOR BU

Baylor point guard Pierre Jackson, the team's leading scorer and the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, struggled offensively in the first half, making just 2-of-7 shots from the floor.

Jackson came through in the second half, however, scoring eight straight points during a key stretch to boost the Bears' lead, then firing in a 3-pointer late, eventually finishing with a team-high 18 points.