STILLWATER, Okla. – Bill Self said his team played like one that was distracted.

Distracted or not, the result Saturday in Stillwater was a 61-60 setback in the KU coach’s third trip back to Gallagher-Iba Arena as the Jayhawk sideline commander. The win boosts the surging Oklahoma State Cowboys to 14-12 overall and 5-7 in the league with three straight wins over three of the top five teams in the league. KU drops to 24-3 overall and 9-3 in Big 12 play, falling behind Texas’ pace atop the conference standings.

It was messy from the beginning, with the two teams combining for nine turnovers in the game’s first four minutes. OSU took charge for the first time behind a pair of Obi Muonelo three-pointers before halftime, taking a 36-32 advantage into the intermission.

The Cowboys endured a slump for the first several minutes of the second stanza as KU charged back. Brandon Rush, who was scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting in the first half, scored 12 points in the second. Mario Chalmers finished with 11 points, taking charge offensively for much of the afternoon with KU’s leading scorer on the year – Darrell Arthur – scoring just six points in 17 minutes of play before fouling out.

Arthur exited the game after fouling OSU junior Byron Eaton, who finished with a game-high 26 points, most of it coming off of a 16-of-18 free throw shooting performance. He hit the game-winner with :12.6 seconds to go, and Rush’s last-second three-point attempt from the left corner was short off the rim, sending the OSU students into a frenzy as they rushed the floor.

Darnell Jackson led KU with 16 points and eight rebounds, as both he and Rodrick Stewart played in the wake of deaths in their immediate families.

KU next plays Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Iowa State.

For more on Saturday’s game, log back onto KUSports.com and read Sunday’s Journal-World.

Final, OSU wins 61-60

Mario Chalmers missed a three after a first Jayhawk attempt was swatted by Marcus Dove, but Brandon Rush, off the offensive board, swung around to the free throw line and cashed a jumper, letting out another yell as he scored his 11th and 12th points of the second half and put KU ahead 58-54.

Byron Eaton scored another point at the stripe to make it a three-point game, and Byron Eaton then fed Martavius Adams for two inside to pull OSU within one. A KU turnover led to Sean Sutton calling a full timeout with his team down just a point with 2:01 to play.

Eaton was called for a travel on the baseline out of the timeout, giving KU possession with just under two minutes to play.

KU turned the ball over after Bill Self called a 30-second timeout, and Marcus Dove stroked his first three-pointer of the game right at the one-minute mark to put KU up by two. Darnell Jackson answered back by slipping two into the bucket off the glass, leaving OSU with the ball and a five-second difference on the clocks.

Byron Eaton milked the clock and got to the free throw line with :12.6 left, drawing the fourth foul on Sasha Kaun.

Eaton calmly sunk the first try, but missed the second and KU opted to go for it and not whistle a timeout. Brandon Rush got a last-second look at a three, but it missed short off the iron, giving OSU a 61-60 win as the students rushed the floor.

3:58, second half, KU leads 56-54

Byron Eaton hit both his free throws, but KU closed it down into a three-point game with Mario Chalmers hitting his first three-pointer of the game from straight on. Eaton then got back to the line in the bonus off of Darrell Arthur’s fifth and final foul of the game.

Brandon Rush answered back with two points after following his own miss inside, drawing contact, too. His free throw gave him seven points, all of which have come in the second half.

Marcus Dove then wound up at the stripe with OSU in the double bonus off a Chalmers foul – his fourth.

He hit two free throws, but Brandon Rush finally tied things back up for KU with his first three-pointer of the game coming from the left corner. That made it 54-54 with just under five minutes to play.

Sasha Kaun then put the Jayhawks ahead 56-54 with just his second bucket of the game following an OSU offensive foul. Ibrahima Thomas was then called for his fifth foul, sending the game into its final TV timeout with 3:58 to play.

7:20, second half, OSU leads 48-45

Mario Chalmers missed an up-and-under layup attempt out of the timeout, giving OUS a chance to extend its lead. Martavius Adams missed a mid-range jumper, and Darnell Jackson responded for KU with his first points of the second half, giving him 14 on the afternoon and pulling KU to within seven points. Byron Eaton scored two more for OSU, giving him a game-high 20 and keeping the crowd a factor with OSU up 48-39.

Chalmers scored again getting to the rack, giving him eight points and forcing Sean Sutton into a 30-second timeout call.

Brandon Rush aired a three after an OSU turnover out of the timeout, but Russell Robinson followed it up with an easy layup underneath. That turned into another OSU giveaway with KU down five and eight minutes to play.

Rush hit his second two-point jumper of the game after that to make it a three-point contest. Rush was then called for a foul as Byron Eaton went up for a layup underneath but got clobberred.

11:49, second half, OSU leads 46-37

Darrell Arthur hit one of two free throws on KU’s first possession out of the half, and those would be the game’s lone points for nearly three minutes, as each team played just as sticky and physical as it had in the first half.

Terrel Harris checked back in for OSU after the Cowboys called a full timeout with just under 17 minutes to play. The Cowboys immediately missed a shot, and Brandon Rush got himself on the board with a long two-point jumper, letting out a yell after scoring his first points of the game to pull KU wtihin one at 36-35.

Harris quickly picked up his fourth foul at the 15:49 mark, sending the game into a full break with the Cowboys still scoreless in the second half.

James Anderson finally got OSU onto the second half scoreboard with a three form the wing, and Ibrahima Thomas followed it with a turnaround two inside, forcing KU into a quick timeout, suddenly down six.

After a Brandon Rush miss from the wing, Byron Eaton faced a fading shot clock and cashed a baseline jumper to give OSU its biggest lead yet at eight points, but Mario Chalmers was able to get to the foul line on the other end, hitting a pair of free throws and keeping KU within range at six points. Obi Muonelo came back down for the white-hot Cowboys and swished another three-point try to put the Cowboys up nine.

Ibrahima Thomas created another KU turnover after a Jayhawk 30-second timeout, and Russell Robinson was quickly called for his second foul.

Halftime, OSU leads 36-32

Following a Marcus Dove three miss, Darnell Jackson tipped in a Russell Robinson miss to make it a two-point game, but Byron Eaton continued to build on his great offensive first half with two more free throws before setting on the bench to close the half. He left with a game-high 16 points.

Darnell Jackson put himself in double figures with a pair of free throws after that, but Obi Muonelo canceled it out with a three atop the key. Jackson scored again, slashing to the hoop once more.

Cole Aldrich closed it down into a one-point game before OSU held for the last shot. Muonelo got off a three with five seconds to play and cashed it, putting OSU ahead 36-32 at the break.

Muonelo finished behind Eaton for the top scoring honors in white, putting away nine. Darnell Jackson led KU with 12, while Russell Robinson added seven.

Offensively, it was a strange half for the Jayhawks. Brandon Rush and Sherron Collins were both scoreless, while Darrell Arthur was limited in terms of minutes due to two early fouls – one of which was a technical. KU was also 0-for-5 from three-point range.

3:24, first half, OSU leads 28-24

Darnell Jackson hit a pair of free throws out of the timeout in the bonus, but OSU answered back in a big way. First, Eaton hit his first three-pointer of the game, giving him a game-high nine points. Then, James Anderson dropped in two in transition. Darrell Arthur added two bonus free throws with KU now in the double-bonus, tying the game again, 23-23.

After KU then turned it over for the 10th time already, Byron Eaton hit another three-pointer, this time from about three feet beyond the arc. Eaton would hit two more free throws after a Darrell Arthur charity. That all came on the heels of a fan just off the floor on the sideline getting booted, causing a slight break in the game.

A series of misses on both ends, including Mario Chalmers being called for his second foul of the game on a charge, was capped by a travel call on Darnell Jackson heading into the final full break of the first half, OSU up by four.

8:36, first half, KU leads 19-18

Terrel Harris hit one of two free throws out of the timeout in the bonus, but Sasha Kaun responded with two for OSU, following a Mario Chalmers floater miss with two off the glass. Harris answered back with a three from the left corner to again give OSU a four-point advantage.

KU got itself into the bonus a couple of moments later, as Terrel Harris was whistled for his third foul and the team’s seventh. Russell Robinson hit a pair of free throws after the foul.

Mario Chalmers then tied it up with his first points of the game after a blown OSU scoring opportunity, slashing and dropping in two off the window. Chalmers was whistled for his first foul moments later, blocking Byron Eaton’s path to the basket. Eaton cashed both, giving him six points and OSU a two-point edge. Chalmers again answered with a one-hander off the dribble drive.

An OSU three miss by Obi Muonelo gave KU a chance at something, but off a miss, Muonelo threw a lob for James Anderson, whose first points of the game brought the crowd to a fever pitch.

Russell Robinson picked up where Mario Chalmers had left off by slashing to the bucket, scoring two of his own and drawing contact. His free throw gave him a game-high seven points and put the Jayhawks back up by a point, 19-18.

11:39, first half, OSU leads 10-8

Ugliness truly ensued after Russell Robinson scored a bucket and Obi Muonelo dropped one of two free throws out of the timeout. Offsetting technical fouls were called on Ibrahima Thomas and Darrell Arthur after a foul call against Terrel Harris when Sasha Kaun got tied up with the ball under the OSU hoop.

For KU, it was Arthur’s second foul of the game, sending him to the bench with just two points to his credit just inside of the 15-minute mark.

Darnell Jackson drew a foul underneath on Byron Eaton after it was all sorted out, and then hit two free throws to put KU ahead 6-3.

Obi Muonelo then drew another foul and hit two free throws to make it a one-point game. The Cowboys followed it up with a big defensive stand in forcing a shot clock violation before Mario Chalomers could get off a three look.

Martavius Adams off the bench hit a two inside in response while drawing contact to put OSU on top. His free throw made it 8-6, which brought Cole Aldrich and Rodrick Stewart into the game.

Byron Eaton then went like a bowling ball into the lane again to get to the foul line, drawing the sixth infraction on KU in the first half at just the 12:47 mark, forcing Bill Self into a 30-second timeout call. Eaton hit both free throws out of the timeout.

Terrel Harris had a three rim out after OSU got the ball back yet agin, and Darnell Jackson responded with a fading two while knifing across the lane to pull KU within two. Russell Robinson was called for a foul, though, sending OSU into the bonus and the game into a full break at the 11:39 mark.

15:53, first half, game tied 2-2

Russell Robinson controlled the game’s opening tip, but Mario Chalmers was forced into a tie-up by Byron Eaton almost right away, giving possession to the Cowboys. Ibrahima Thomas missed a three from the left wing for the ‘Pokes, but KU turned it right back over, again giving OU a chance at the game’s first points. Byron Eaton was quickly called for a carry while trying to work around Darrell Arthur.

Arthur scored the game’s first points with a baby hook in the post on the other end. He was called for a foul on the defensive end of the floor though as Eaton knifed near the hole. Eaton cashed both charities, tying things up 2-2.

Darnell Jackson turned it over after that into the hands of James Anderson, but a Marcus Dove three attempt was no good in response. KU did OSU another favor with a quick turnover after the defensive carom was gathered. OSU again couldn’t answer, with Obi Muonelo missing a mid-range look, but KU turned it back over into Eaton’s hands. The junior guard missed a layup, but KU was no good on two more shots sandwiching a Mario Chalmers swat of James Anderson.

The ugliness continued, with Chalmers and Anderson swapping two more ugly looks before a TV timeout at 15:53, score still tied 2-2.

Pregame

STILLWATER, Okla. – It’s been a week since Kansas University last took the floor, and in the team’s return to action the Jayhawks hope to shake off a mini-funk which culminated with an underwhelming 69-45 win over Colorado last Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse.

Today, the Jayhawks (24-2 overall, 9-2 Big 12) take on a talented team in Oklahoma State (13-12, 4-7) which is on its first roll of the season. The Cowboys are making a late push towards the middle of the league standings now after back-to-back win over likely NCAA Tournament teams in Texas A&M and Baylor.

Every game continues to have added importance for KU, which is in the thick of a three-horse race with Texas and Kansas State for the Big 12 regular season title as the schedule now hits its stretch run. After six days off, KU plays three games in the next seven days, including a trip to Ames, Iowa, Wednesday and then a home game against K-State next Saturday at 8 p.m.

But KU cannot afford to look past OSU. The Cowboys boast as talented a corps of perimeter players as you’ll find in the Big 12. The charge offensively is led by James Anderson, a freshman swingman who chose OSU over KU and leads the ‘Pokes in scoring with a 14.5 average. The sparkplug in the last two games for OSU, though, has been junior point guard Byron Eaton. In the two wins, the former McDonald’s All-American has 42 points, 13 assists and just four turnovers.

KU is playing with heavy hearts, with both Darnell Jackson and Rodrick Stewart having suffered losses in their families this week. The other major storyline heading into today’s action is the return to Stillwater for the third time for Bill Self as the KU head coach. He’s 1-1 as a head coach in Gallagher-Iba against his alma mater.

Tip-off is set for 3 p.m., with the game airing on CBS.