Oklahoma State didn’t just open its season with a win Monday night. It came out of the gate with a statement, rolling past Incarnate Word 91-60 at Gallagher-Iba Arena to kick off the 118th basketball season in Stillwater.
The Cowboys were in control from the start, scoring the first 12 points and never letting the Cardinals find any real footing. By halftime, OSU had built a 54-17 cushion, a 37-point edge that matched the third-largest halftime lead in program history. The advantage grew to as many as 39 points early in the second half, and the final margin of 31 points was Oklahoma State’s biggest under third-year head coach Steve Lutz.
It was also the Cowboys’ first win by 30 or more points since Nov. 22, 2021, when they beat College of Charleston.
The numbers told the story all night. Oklahoma State held Incarnate Word to 29.2% shooting in the first half, forced 12 turnovers before the break and committed just one.
The Cowboys finished with 10 steals and 21 takeaways, turning those into 27 points. They also owned the glass, outrebounding UIW 38-26, and piled up a 21-4 edge in second-chance points.
Ten players made their Cowboy debuts, including all five starters, and those newcomers accounted for 81 of OSU’s 91 points. Every player who saw the floor scored.
Luka Bogavac led the way with 14 points in his debut, giving Oklahoma State four double-figure scorers. Jordan Burks added 11, freshman Parker Robinson scored 11 and Andrija Grbovic finished with 10. Bogavac had 12 of his points before halftime and buried a buzzer-beating three to send OSU into the locker room with that huge lead.
Jacob Walker turned in a debut that landed in the record book. The sophomore point guard tied school records for assists and steals by a Cowboy newcomer, finishing with eight assists and four steals. He also scored eight points and had just one turnover in 22 minutes.
Burks made his first OSU possession count, opening the scoring with a three-pointer. He finished with 11 points, 10 of them in the first half.
Robinson was efficient in his collegiate debut, going 3-of-4 from the field and perfect on four free throws for his 11 points, while also adding two assists and two steals. Grbovic scored all 10 of his points after halftime on 3-of-5 shooting and chipped in three rebounds and a block.
Latrell Allmond added nine points, four rebounds and two blocks in his first college game. The Cowboys also got four points apiece from Jalen Montonati and Anthony Felesi, with Felesi becoming the 19th OSU freshman to start a season opener since 1972.
Oklahoma State was without returning starters Kanye Clary and Parsa Fallah, along with sophomore Mekhi Ragland, because of injuries. Even so, the Cowboys’ depth showed up in a big way: reserves scored 58 points, including 33 in the first half, and OSU got scoring from all 12 players who played.
The win carried extra meaning for Lutz, who started his coaching career at Incarnate Word as an assistant under Danny Kaspar from 1995-99. He improved to 5-0 against UIW as a head coach and moved to 3-0 against Southland Conference opponents at Oklahoma State.
For the program, the victory extended a long run of success in openers and at home. OSU is now 92-26 all-time in season openers, with wins in 30 of its last 32, and 3-0 in openers under Lutz. The Cowboys improved to 85-4 in home openers at Gallagher-Iba Arena, which began its 89th season of basketball, and they have now won 20 straight non-conference regular-season home games since a Nov. 30, 2023 loss to Creighton.
Oklahoma State’s all-time record at Gallagher-Iba Arena now stands at 889-274.
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