STILLWATER, Okla. — The University of Cincinnati players said all along their season-opening game at Oklahoma State would be a test that would help them measure where they are as a team.

        Here are the answers:

        The Bearcats are going to struggle if they don't rebound, get some production inside and find another consistent scoring threat or two to complement senior guard Steve Logan.

        The 18th-ranked Cowboys held off a hard-charging UC team 69-62 Friday night before a sellout crowd of 13,611 at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

        The loss ended a 21-game UC winning streak in season-openers.

        “We get outrebounded by 10 the first half and get ourselves in a hole,” UC coach Bob Huggins said. “We don't shoot it very well, so we have to rebound it. We go zone and really kind of have them thinking and we've got a loose ball bouncing through the lane and we don't even dive on it, and they pick it up and shoot it in.

        “Our margin for error is very small. I didn't think we played well at all. We threw the ball around. They're very good defensively, but we make unforced turnovers. We miss open guys and we lose by seven in a place that's supposedly really, really difficult to play.”

        Cincinnati, which held its only lead at 4-2, was within six points of OSU six times in the final four minutes but could not get closer.

        Each time the Bearcats would score, the Cowboys would answer.

        Logan led UC with 31 points. He was 9-of-22 from field, 12-of-14 from the foul line and had five rebounds and zero assists. Stokes added 12 points.

        “We can't rely on Logan to get 30 every night,” Huggins said. “But the way we were going, we didn't have any choice, so he was going to shoot it.”

        Logan agreed.

        “If they rely on me to get 30 every night, I'll be worn down before January gets here,” Logan said. “What we've got to do is concentrate and execute on the offensive end. We're just running around out there and hoping guys get open. We're not screening and things like that, so it makes it tough for the offense. We've got to constantly move.”

        The Bearcats' top rebounder was 6-foot-4 Immanuel McElroy, who grabbed a career-high 10. Freshman Jason Maxiell added seven boards and eight points after coming off the bench.

        UC's starting big men — Donald Little and Jamaal Davis — were a combined 1-of-5 from the field with five points and six rebounds.

        Logan didn't have an especially good night shooting, either. He was only 1-of-6 from 3-point range, and Cincinnati was just 1-of-13 (7.7 percent) as a team.

        Oklahoma State won the rebounding battle 40-35 and had 11 offensive rebounds, including eight in the first half.

        The Bearcats fell behind by as many as 13 points early in the second half, but rallied to 45-41 with 9:59 to play.

        But the Cowboys' next three baskets were 3-pointers — one by Maurice Baker and two by Victor Williams. Williams led the Cowboys with 20 points.

        Oklahoma State led 25-16 at halftime. It was a miserable half for UC, which totaled just five baskets. The Bearcats shot 22.7 percent from the field, made only six of 12 free throws and were outrebounded 26-16.

        Cincinnati 16-46 62
       Oklahoma St. 25-44 69
       

        Attendance—13,611. 3-point goals— 1-13 (Stokes 0-4, Logan 1-6, McElroy 0-2, Williams 0-1) OSU 7-14 (Sanders 2-2, Jonzen 0-1, Baker 2-3, V. Williams 3-4, Hill 0-3, Crawford 0-1). Technical fouls—. Officials— Welmer, Whitehead, Olson.

Bearcats win at Dayton No. 18 Oklahoma St. 69, Cincinnati 62 Oklahoma State tops Bearcats in opener UC notebook

Doesn't get better than this
Is this state title game?
St. X vs. Elder: Tension high for game
CovCath upsets Lexington Catholic
McNick comes up just short
N. College Hill just misses
NewCath too much for Beechwood
Plymouth trying to become least likely of champs
Ohio football playoffs
Kentucky football playoffs
Indiana football playoffs
Bengals plan on facing McNair
Bengals soft? Titans say no
Bengals notebook
NFL notebook
NFL picks
NFL previews
Short on depth, long on ambition
XU beats ISU in opener
Buckeyes' Bellisari suspended
Coming up this week
Hampton stuns Tar Heels 77-69
Knight wins debut at Texas Tech
Local college notebook
Miami: Shorts, Davis and . . .
Mumme's the word
NBA roundup
NHL roundup
NKU men top Ferris St.
RedHawks regroup in Hawaii
SULLIVAN: She'll run this race standing still
UK: Rebounds to beat Marshall
UK thinking upset vs. UT
Reds add 2 pitchers to 40-man roster