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STILLWATER, Okla. — Connor Vanover’s open look from beyond the arc in the closing seconds didn’t fall and Arkansas lost a thriller Saturday afternoon inside historic Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The difference proved to be Cade Cunningham’s step-back jumper that broke a tie with 21.3 seconds left, as Oklahoma State held on for an 81-77 win over the Razorbacks in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Playing its final non-conference game of the regular season, Arkansas had its three-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 13-5 on the season. The Cowboys improved to 11-4.

The Razorbacks had a chance to tie or take the lead after Cunningham gave Oklahoma State a 79-77 lead and head coach Eric Musselman even called a timeout with 13 seconds left. The ball ended up in Vanover’s hands at the top of the key, but the 7-foot-3 big man couldn’t knock it down.

“We knew that they would be draped over some of our other guys and their centers tried to clog the lane up a little bit,” Musselman said. “I thought he got a good look. Obviously against a zone, you can’t dictate the shot as well as you can against a man-to-man. We got a look with a guy who’s a pretty good shooter for us.”

Cunningham - the projected No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft - secured the rebound and made a pair of free throws to ice the victory for Oklahoma State.

That capped a frantic final minute that started with the Cowboys tracking down two offensive rebounds after missed three-pointers to extend the possession that ended with Cunningham’s go-ahead bucket over Davonte Davis’ outstretched arm.

“I thought we played pretty good defense,” Musselman said. “He’s just strong, tall and just kind of rose up. I wasn’t upset with our defense other than the fact we gave up two late offensive rebounds that Oklahoma State chased down.”

After missing the previous two games as he worked his way back into shape from COVID-19 protocols, Cunningham came off the bench and scored a game-high 21 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He also had seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in 31 minutes.

“He hadn’t played in two games and unfortunately we get him on the night he comes back,” Musselman said. “And he’s a phenomenal player… Cunningham is really, really, really, really special.”

Early on, it looked like Oklahoma State might run away with it like it did when Arkansas came to Stillwater four years ago and left with a decisive 28-point loss.

The Razorbacks attacked the rim early and often, but didn’t have much success. They made just two of their first seven shots, with three of them being blocked by the Cowboys.

“Going in, we really didn't know that they were that big of a shot-blocking team,” senior Justin Smith said. “I think out of the first five plays, they got like three blocks. I think that kind of spooked us a little bit.”

On the other end of the floor, Oklahoma State started off hot. Avery Anderson III knocked down a pair of three-pointers to help build a 12-4 lead before Arkansas finally started chipping away at the deficit.

The Cowboys actually made their first six shots from the floor, but had seven turnovers mixed in. When they finally did miss a shot, Kalib Boone grabbed the offensive board and put it back in.

That was a theme throughout the game. Despite it being a point of emphasis, Arkansas struggled on the defensive glass. Oklahoma State finished with 12 offensive boards, with half of those belonging to Boone, who notched a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

“I thought Boone was a guy that really hurt us tonight,” Musselman said. “That was the one guy in particular I thought rose to the occasion for them. He got six offensive rebounds. You just can’t have that with one guy.”

It wasn’t until midway through the first half that JD Notae notched Arkansas’ first rebound following an Oklahoma State missed field goal. He immediately pushed the ball up the floor to Moses Moody, who finished the fast break with a layup that tied the game at 19-19 and forced the Cowboys to call a timeout.

Less than a minute later, the Razorbacks took their first lead of the game when Davis tipped in a missed layup by Notae. It didn’t last long, though, as Oklahoma State responded with an 8-0 run of its own before Desi Sills knocked down Arkansas’ first three-pointer at the 5:31 mark.

Arkansas looked like it might be able to cut its deficit to one just before halftime, as Moody was fouled while knocking down a jump shot with 3.5 seconds left.

However, he missed the free throw and - after Sills deflected a pass out of bounds with 0.6 seconds left - Cunningham lobbed an in-bounds pass from near midcourt for a layup by Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe at the buzzer.

That made it 38-34 Cowboys, who shot 55.2 percent from the floor despite committing 15 turnovers in the first half. Arkansas struggled at the rim throughout game, but especially so in the first 20 minutes.

According to the StatBroadcast, the Razorbacks were just 16 of 37 on layups - including 8 of 22 in the first half. Their drives to the basket resulted in them attempting only seven free throws, which seemed to be an area of frustration for Musselman in the postgame.

“Zero comment, because Oklahoma State is physical,” Musselman said when asked about the lack of free throws.

Arkansas needed a little more than three minutes to erase the Cowboys’ halftime lead, with a Vanover bucket giving it a 45-43 lead.

One of Jalen Tate’s four turnovers cost the Razorbacks a chance to extend the lead and Oklahoma State used back-to-back fast break layups to surge back ahead. Down the stretch, Tate was on the bench and Arkansas went with Davis and Notae for its point guard duties.

“I just didn’t think Jalen Tate had it at all,” Musselman said. “As far as our coaching staff was concerned, that was definitely the right move tonight, the way Tate was playing.”

The last of those fast break layups made it 50-45 Oklahoma State and forced Musselman to call a timeout. When play resumed, Smith scored to end the run and start a four-minute stretch when the teams exchanged blows the the score was tied on four separate occasions.

A pair of Notae three-pointers sandwiched around a layup by Vanover put the Hogs on top for a few minutes, but Cunningham took over down the stretch. He scored 11 of Oklahoma State’s 16 points in the last six minutes.

It was a layup by Likekele, though, that put Oklahoma State up with 4:48 remaining, as he finished a fast break that started with another of Tate’s turnovers. Arkansas managed to tied it up four more times, but could never regain the lead.

Smith was the Razorbacks’ leading scorer with 18 points and he also had a team-high seven rebounds, but only four of those were on the defensive end.

“I though Justin played phenomenal offensively,” Musselman said. “We really need him to defensive rebound with the makeup of our team and we need him to get more than three defensive rebounds. But I thought to score 18 points and have four assists, I thought he played as solid offensively as he has for us.”

Moody, who played with Cunningham at Montverde Academy, finished with 17 points, while Notae (13) and Davis (12) were also in double figures.

In addition to Cunningham’s 21 points and Boone’s double-double, the Cowboys got 13 and 11 points, respectively, from Anderson and Moncrieffe.

The Razorbacks return to SEC play Tuesday when they welcome Mississippi State to Bud Walton Arena. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.