USF Senior Writer

TAMPA – The Bulls hung tough early on but weren't able to keep up with No. 5/8 Oklahoma State's high-powered offense in a 93-67 loss on Monday night before a crowd of 6,240 at the Sun Dome.

The Cowboys (5-0) shot 50 percent from the field and got 25 points apiece from Marcus Smart and Markel Brown. Oklahoma State went 9-for-16 from 3-point range with five coming from Brown and finished with five players in double figures.

"It's really hard to stop them because they have so many weapons and they can hurt you in a lot of different ways," head coach Stan Heath said.

USF (4-1) was seeking its first 5-0 start since the 2001-02 season and got a strong contribution from freshman center John Egbunu, who finished with a team-high 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Senior forward Victor Rudd scored 14 points, freshman center Chris Perry added 10 points and junior guard Corey Allen Jr. posted a game-high 10 rebounds with nine coming on the defensive end.

"We beat a good team tonight. Stan really has some good, young players combined with some really good veterans," Cowboys head coach Travis Ford said. "They're going to win a lot of games and we're happy to get this victory."

Monday's first half featured two ties and eight lead changes before the Cowboys heated up down stretch.

A Smart tip in spotted the Cowboys a 9-5 advantage before the Bulls took a lead of their own thanks to the heads up play of Anthony Collins. The junior guard stopped a 5-0 Oklahoma State run with a 3-pointer and connected with Egbunu on consecutive alley-oop dunks as USF took a 12-11 lead past the 15-minute mark.

Powered by eight straight points from Brown, the Cowboys seized control with a 13-2 run but the Bulls wouldn't back down. A 3-pointer by Musa Abdul-Aleem sparked a 9-2 run that cut USF's deficit to 35-30 with 4:48 to go before halftime.

Oklahoma State responded with Brown's third 3-pointer and closed the half with a 51-35 lead thanks to a buzzer-beating shot by Smart from well beyond half court. The Cowboys went 6-for-13 from long range in the opening period while Smart was up to 23 points after starting 8-for-13 from the field.

The Bulls shot 41 percent (12-for-29) in the first half but were hampered by 10 turnovers.

"We had some segments in the game when we stalled offensively, we forced some shots and they took advantage of that," Heath said.

USF started the second half on a 7-3 run and Martino Brock's in-bound steal and score cut the deficit to 54-42, but that's as close as the Bulls got to the Cowboys the rest of the way.

"We had some points where we cut the lead down a little bit, but they have a lot of firepower," Heath said.

The Bulls look to bounce back 7 p.m. Saturday against Detroit at the Sun Dome. Purchase tickets HERE or by calling 1-800-GoBulls.