Cowboys Claim First Big 12 Road Win Under Lutz — Roy erupts for 26 as OSU dominates paint in 81-69 victory over Utah

Parsa Fallah collected himself and unleashed. 

Swish. 

The Oklahoma State center’s top-of-the-key 3 ushered dead silence into the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Simultaneously, the roar from the visitor’s bench bellowed around the court, igniting momentum in OSU’s favor with a little more than 3 minutes remaining in the game, and clinching an advantage the Cowboys wouldn’t relinquish.

Moments later, Fallah followed with a put-back tip-in off a missed free throw to extend OSU's lead to double digits. By that point, the game had been iced and the arena slowly began emptying.

OSU downed Utah 81-69 on Saturday in Salt Lake City, clinching second-year Cowboys’ coach Steve Lutz’s first Big 12 road win and ending a treacherous Big 12 road losing streak. Another 20-plus-point outing from guard Anthony Roy and a sound effort down low from center Parsah Fallah and forward Christian Coleman — who totaled a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double — aided in a complete team effort.

The road ahead doesn't ease up any, but for now, at least, Lutz and Co. can find solace in earning their first conference road win of the season.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

Anthony Roy propels OSU’s offense 

From the moment of the opening tip-off, Roy was on point.

One deep ball turned into two. A second turned into a third. And eventually, it felt like Roy couldn’t miss.

A 26-point effort from Roy guided the Cowboys (15-6, 3-5 Big 12) past Utah in enemy territory. But it wasn’t exclusively a product of his 3-point shooting, which accounted for 15 of his point total. 

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Roy consistently manufactured opportunities in the paint. If he wasn’t scoring, Roy managed to find open players in the paint. While he finished with only two assists, Roy’s court vision opened opportunities for fellow teammates to contribute.

In the end, he aided in a 10-4 run to close things out. And his game-leading 12 plus-minus might be more indicative of his value on the court than all else.

Cowboys dominate the glass with ease

Owning the paint was a focal point for Lutz heading into Saturday. Fast-forward, his team did just that.

The Cowboys outscored the Utes (9-12, 1-7 Big 12) 42-32 in the paint. Fallah was responsible for 13, while Coleman accounted for 14.

That interior dominance dictated tempo and opened perimeter looks, forcing Utah to collapse defensively. As double teams came, the Cowboys kicked out efficiently and limited second-chance opportunities.

Additionally, OSU won the rebounding battle 43-35.

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Cowboys end lengthy conference road losing streak 

OSU hadn’t won a road Big 12 contest in 710 days.

To find that most-recent outcome, you'd have to date back two years ago when OSU squeaked by Cincinnati 80-76 on Feb. 21, 2024. Back when Mike Boynton was still leading Cowboy basketball.

Through that stretch of 15 games, OSU had endured heartbreak and close losses. For the most part, however, the Cowboys were dominated on the road, routinely being run out of opposing arenas with relative ease and often little resistance.

That changed Saturday.

While OSU’s win at Utah wasn’t of Quad 1 status, it marked the end of a duplicitous skid that deprived the Cowboys of a key element to having a successful season. Now, that's in the rearview mirror.

The breakthrough provides tangible progress for Lutz's Cowboys and could provide a confidence boost and momentum that will seep into a challenging stretch of Big 12 play — a conference Lutz has routinely referred to as the best in college basketball. And with a home clash with No. 13 BYU upcoming Wednesday at 8 p.m., the most vital element is carrying it over.