OKLAHOMA CITY -- Facing an upset, a veteran Oklahoma State team got a boost of energy from a freshman.
JamesOn Curry sliced into the lane and found Ivan McFarlin cutting to the basket for a layup, and the Cowboys turned a three-point lead into a comfortable edge down the stretch in their 63-50 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Friday in the Chicago Regional.
The 19-year-old guard added a free throw, then found McFarlin for another basket inside to put Oklahoma State up 49-43. Terrence Crawford emphatically jammed home a miss by John Lucas III, and Curry hit a 3-pointer from the left wing, then pumped his fist.
"Coach is always talking about playing with intensity and emotion," Curry said. "That helps change the game a little bit. It makes it a little bit (more fun). ... Hopefully, that bit of energy can add to the guys and become contagious."
McFarlin scored 18 points to lead the Cowboys (25-6), a Final Four team last season, and Curry scored 13.
The Lions (24-9), trying to become only the fifth No. 15 seed to upset a second-seeded team, were within 44-41 midway through the second half after an 11-3 run fueled by Ricky Woods' ability to get inside and cause havoc.
Woods sank a leaning flip against Crawford, finished a whirling drive down the left side of the lane and grabbed a deflected pass for a two-handed jam, then drove the lane and dished off to Jonathan Walker to make it 42-39. Woods led the Lions with 16 points.
"Everybody just stayed together and we believed in ourselves that we could overcome adversity," Lions guard Jonathan Patton said. "We stayed there tough with them, but the outcome wasn't that good for us."
The teams traded free throws before Curry took charge -- first with the drive, and then with the shot. The freshman from North Carolina is the youngest player on the Cowboys' roster, which features five players who have already graduated and two more who'll get their degrees in May.
"He's just an outstanding player for his age," Cowboys coach Eddie Sutton said. "He has no fear. He's not afraid to take that shot."
Southeastern Louisiana coach Billy Kennedy said the Lions executed their game plan by limiting Lucas and Joey Graham -- the Cowboys' top scorers -- but it simply wasn't enough.
"We had to play a perfect game and get some breaks, and I didn't think we got any breaks," Kennedy said.
Lucas and Graham had been averaging 18.1 points apiece, but Lucas finished with 12 and Graham -- who sat out for 5½ minutes after picking up his fourth foul with 7:05 left -- had a season-low seven points on only four shots.
"I've never seen him play as poorly as he did today," Sutton said. "Sometimes he can disappear on you."
Sutton picked up his 780th career win, passing Lou Henson for sixth place on the victories list. It also was his 350th win at Oklahoma State.
He gave credit to a partisan crowd at the Ford Center, which was about 80 percent filled with Cowboys fans wearing orange.
"I've been in 26 NCAA Tournaments, and I have never seen a site where one school had that many people," Sutton said. "I don't know what would have happened if they hadn't sent us here."
The Cowboys jumped on top early with 11 straight points to take a 21-9 lead. The Lions fought back to get within 30-24 on a layup by Patton, the younger brother of Oakland Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson. Patton scored eight points as the Lions closed the gap with a 10-5 spurt.
Patton, who had 15 points at halftime, limped off the court with 12:09 remaining with an apparent right leg injury. He returned, still limping, with 2:49 left but did not score.
