Cunningham outduels Abmas, Oklahoma St. beats Oral Roberts

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Cade Cunningham hangs in air for early and-1

Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham drives to the rim, absorbs contact and banks it home for the hoop and the harm.

Dec 9, 2020, 04:12 am

STILLWATER, Okla. -- — Freshman Cade Cunningham scored a season-high 29 points and outdueled Oral Roberts' Max Abmas down the stretch as Oklahoma State beat the Golden Eagles 83-78 on Tuesday night.

Cunningham, a 6-foot-8 point guard who is widely projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, scored 13 points in the final 91 seconds. He finished 9-of-18 shooting and hit 9 of 10 from the free-throw line — including 4 of 4 in the last 47 seconds.

Abmas, a 6-1 sophomore who averaged 14.5 points per game last season, scored 15 of his career-best 36 points in the final five-plus minutes. He also set career highs with 11 field goals, seven 3-pointers and nine assists, and tied his best with six rebounds.

Abmas hit a 3-pointer and then a jumper to trim ORU's deficit to 71-68 with 1:47 to play. Cunningham sandwiched a three-point play and a 3-pointer around two free throws by Abmas to push Oklahoma State's lead to seven points with a minute to play. Abmas hit a 3-pointer and, after Cunningham made two free throws, hit another 3 to make it 79-76 with 38 seconds to go. Cunningham made a layup and two free throws — and Abmas missed two 3-point shots — in the final 17 seconds to seal it.

Freshman Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe had a career-high 15 points, Kalib Boone scored 11 and twin-brother Keylan Boone added six points, a career-high tying 12 rebounds and two blocks for Oklahoma State (5-0). The Cowboys have won eight consecutive games dating to last season.

Kevin Obanor added 16 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for Oral Roberts (1-3).