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STILLWATER, Okla. John Riggins . -- Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford took a look at the Cowboys assist total against Robert Morris on Monday night and smiled the smile of an old point guard. No. 6 Oklahoma State recorded 27 assists on 32 baskets in a 92-66 romp over the Colonials that served as a prep game for the Cowboys Big 12 Conference opener on Saturday at Kansas State. It was Oklahoma States highest assist total since recording 27 against Nebraska on Feb. 19, 2000. Coming off a nine-day layoff, Phil Forte scored 20 points and Markel Brown added 18 for Oklahoma State (12-1). The Cowboys will enter 2014 with their highest ranking in The Associated Press poll since February 2005, when they were at No. 6. "Its a lot of fun when you see a team passing the ball like that," Ford said. "I told our team I enjoyed watching that. Its one of the most unselfish games Ive seen a team play, especially when you see guys who passed up wide-open layups, wide-open dunks, to pass it off to their teammate. You dont see that much in college basketball anymore." The Cowboys never trailed against Robert Morris (5-9), which posted a memorable win over Kentucky in the first round of last seasons NIT. But the Colonials of the Northeast Conference havent fared as well against major-conference foes this season, falling first at Kentucky before losing to Oklahoma State. A trip to Alabama is up next. Karvel Anderson scored 16 points for Robert Morris, which is 2-8 on the road this season. The Colonials, who entered the game shooting 40.8 per cent from 3-point range, finished 6 of 25 (24 per cent) from behind the arc. "One of the things were going through is we have some new bodies who dont understand what it takes," Robert Morris coach Andrew Toole said. "Theyre kind of living in the name that some other guys helped build and they dont understand what it takes to go out on the floor and play at that level. Were trying to teach them . how to make the right decisions in any kind of environment and its difficult. Sometimes its uglier than it is pretty." Oklahoma State shot 57.1 per cent, helped in good part by 11 dunks, six of those by Brown, who went 7 of 14 from the field. Most of those slams, Ford said, were made possible by unselfish play. "We drew a few plays up in the timeouts to get a couple of lobs, different things like that," he said. "But on the break, I thought our guys . made pretty good decisions most of the time. We changed ends very quickly and thats something weve been working on, getting out a little bit quicker than we have been. That can be, possibly, a strength of ours." Robert Morris missed its first four shots and Oklahoma State sprinted to a 9-0 lead, with Marcus Smart scoring or assisting on the Cowboys first three baskets. The Cowboys built a 15-point advantage before Robert Morris rallied within 35-27 on a basket by Anderson with 3:48 left in the first half. Oklahoma State went on an 11-2 run to rebuild its lead to 46-31 by halftime, despite playing much of the half without Smart (due to foul trouble) and starting centre Michael Cobbins, who hobbled off the floor 3 1/2 minutes into the game and never returned. Ford said Cobbins would be examined by doctors on Tuesday but the coach feared it might be an Achilles tendon injury. "It doesnt look good," Ford said. After Anderson opened the second half with a basket, the Cowboys had three dunks in a 13-3 run, punctuated by a windmill slam by Brown to cap a length-of-the-court fast break during which the basketball touched the ground only once. That built the Cowboys lead to 59-36 with 14:53 left. Smart scored a season-low seven points. He went more than 28 minutes without scoring but he ended that drought with a memorable basket, catching an alley-oop pass from Stevie Clark and throwing down a two-handed reverse dunk. That started a 13-2 run by the Cowboys that put them up 79-52 with 6:57 left and ended all doubt. "Its nice to see everyone doesnt really care who scores, who does what," Forte said. "As long we keep that going, things will be really good for us." Brian Williams scored 12 points for Oklahoma State, while Kamari Murphy had 10 points and eight rebounds and Clark finished with nine points and nine assists, matching the third-highest total ever by an Oklahoma State freshman. Anthony Myers-Pate added 10 points for Robert Morris. Oklahoma State moved to 7-2 all-time against current Northeast Conference teams, although all but three of those games were played in the 1940s. Before Monday, the Cowboys last game against a Northeast Conference foe was in January 1989, when they beat Central Connecticut State. Akeem Jordan Redskins Jersey . The Winnipeg Jets head coach, whose parents are French-Canadian, lost much of his mother tongue the result of playing and coaching hockey in the U.S. but still speaks enough to get by. DeSean Jackson Redskins Jersey . The Texas Rangers quickly got even, and the right-hander felt like he was starting over when he got back on the mound.The struggling Vancouver Canucks hope to secure their first road victory against the Carolina Hurricanes in over 11 years as the two clubs clash on Sunday afternoon. The Canucks have split the first two of a four-game road trip that ends on Tuesday versus the Nashville Predators. Having lost eight of its last 10, Vancouver is aiming to get on track during this swing and will try to do so with its first victory in Carolina since Nov. 27, 2002. Eddie Lack will get the start in net for the Canucks. The Canucks have lost three straight as the guest in this series since, including a 4-3 loss on Dec. 15, 2011 in the most recent encounter between these clubs. Vancouver is coming off a highly-anticipated showdown with the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon, with Canucks coach John Tortorella making his return to Madison Square Garden after being fired in the offseason by the Rangers. He was coincidentally replaced by Alain Vigneault, the former coach of the Canucks who was also dismissed this summer, and could not make his Big Apple return a success as Vancouver was defeated 5-2. "Im not going to lie, its a little weird for me coming back," Tortorella said. "But once the game starts, its about playing and trying to find a way to get a win." That didnt happen despite goals from David Booth and Daniel Sediin. Earnest Byner Redskins Jersey. Roberto Luongo was pulled 17 seconds into the second period after allowing his third goal on 10 shots faced. Eddie Lack allowed two goals on 14 shots in relief of Luongo, who should get a chance to rebound today and is 10-13-1 with three ties and a 2.59 goals against average in 27 career games (25 starts) versus the Hurricanes franchise. Carolina is coming off a split of a home-and-home set with the New Jersey Devils. The Canes won their second straight by picking up a 4-3 victory in the Garden State on Wednesday, but then failed to hold a third-period lead in losing Fridays home tilt 5-2 after giving up four goals in the final frame. Jeff Skinner and Jordan Staal each scored once for Carolina, which has lost five of its past seven as it was held to a season-low 18 shots. Cam Ward allowed all five goals on 31 shots in defeat. "We couldnt close the game out as a team and we have to be able to do that having a lead going into the third," Skinner said. Skinner was playing in his fifth game since missing 11 straight with an upper- body injury and scored his first goal since Oct. 19. Defenseman Andrej Sekera, though, missed Fridays game with an upper-body ailment and is unlikely to play today as well. Ward is 2-2-1 with a 3.38 GAA in five previous starts versus the Canucks. ' ' '