ORLANDO, FLA. -- Butler took one of the best teams in the nation right to the wire, but missed on a couple of opportunities down the stretch and wound up falling to #5 Oklahoma State, 69-67, in the semifinals of the Old Spice Classic on Friday (Nov. 29).  The setback was Butler's first in six games this season.

The Bulldogs battled back from a 14-point halftime deficit and had a chance to win it in the closing seconds.  But Michael Cobbins blocked a three-point field goal attempt by Butler freshman Elijah Brown at the buzzer to preserve the two-point win for Oklahoma State.

"Our team coming out of halftime, fought their tail off," said Butler head coach Brandon Miller.  "I couldn't be more proud of our basketball team and the way we competed.  We fought to the very end and we gave ourselves a chance to win."

Butler trailed the hot-shooting Cowboys by as many as 16 points in the first half, and Oklahoma State went to the locker room at halftime with a 44-30 advantage.  The Cowboys (7-0) shot 58% in the first 20 minutes.

But the Bulldogs, led Brown and junior Alex Barlow, rallied in the second half.  Brown scored 10 of his team-high 15 points after intermission, while Barlow had eight of his career-high 12 points in the final period.

"We really didn't make too many adjustments," Barlow said of the Bulldogs' second half comeback.  "They were beating us up pretty good on the offensive glass, so we really tried to box out and limit them to one shot.  Other than that, we knew we had to play 20 hard minutes of basketball and we were right there."

Butler chipped away at the Oklahoma State lead and eventually cut it to one point, 68-67, on a lay-up by senior Khyle Marshall with just over two minutes remaining.  The Bulldogs had a chance to take the lead with just over a minute remaining, but a three-point field goal attempt by Barlow bounced off the rim.

The Bulldogs still trailed by one when Marshall was fouled with nine seconds remaining, but the Butler forward, who scored a career-high 30 points one day earlier, missed both of his attempts.  Oklahoma State's Le'Bryan Nash made one of two free throws with six seconds left, setting the stage for Brown's final attempt.

"Down the stretch, we did not make enough plays," noted Miller.  "We didn't make enough shots.  We just didn't get it done.  And it hurts to lose.  It hurts especially when they're close."

The Cowboys were led by Player of the Year candidate Marcus Smart with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Nash added 15.  Oklahoma State had won its first six games this season by an average of 33.2 points, beating each of its first six foes by double-figures.

Brown and Barlow were joined in double-figures by junior Kameron Woods, who finished with 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.  Kellen Dunham, who set a tournament record with 32 points one day earlier, wound up with nine points, while Marshall had eight.

Oklahoma State was the highest-ranked team the Bulldogs had faced since last December when Butler defeated No. 1 Indiana, 88-86 in overtime.

The Bulldogs will play for third place in the tournament on Sunday, Dec. 1, against either Memphis or LSU.  The third place game is scheduled for 2 p.m. (ET) and will be televised on ESPNU.