Oklahoma State vs. Tennessee: Cowboys stay steady in 62-45 victory

The Oklahoma State Cowboys used a powerful performance on the boards and a steady offense to take down the Tennessee Volunteers 62-45 on Friday in their Puerto Rico Tipoff semifinals game.

The first half ended without much action on the offensive side of the ball for either team, with the Cowboys holding a 30-19 lead at the break. Guard Marcus Smart led the way for the Cowboys in the first half, putting up nine points.

Offense started flowing a bit more freely in the second half, but the Volunteers were never able to catch up to the deficit that they dug themselves into in the first half. Tennessee was also stifled on the glass, where the Cowboys out-rebounded them 39 to 29. Smart kept his first half pace up to lead the Cowboys with 17 points at the end of the game as well as nine rebounds.

Trae Golden had the best performance for the Volunteers during the low-scoring loss, putting up 11 points and five rebounds.

Oklahoma State will go on to face the winner of the game between the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the University of Massachusetts Minutemen on Nov. 18 in the tournament's championship game.