The St. Thomas University Tommies haven’t had many opportunities like the one they have against host Oklahoma State on Sunday afternoon in Stillwater. It will be the school’s fifth game against a power conference opponent since they made the move to Division I for the 2021-22 season, and it might just be their best chance to win.

Oklahoma State had to fight tooth and nail to beat coach Doug Gottlieb’s Green Bay squad in the Cowboys’ season opener on Monday, needing a decisive second half after entering the break only up by a point. They ended up outscoring Green Bay by 12 in the second half for a 13-point victory, but it wasn’t exactly the night first-year coach Steve Lutz and the Cowboys were looking for.

“I know that we were great in rebounding, we were great at shooting free throws, we took care of the ball for the most part, but you’re not going to be able to play that kind of defense and win in the Big 12,” Lutz said. “You’re just not. You’re kidding yourself if you think that’s going to happen.”

Senior guard Bryce Thompson led the Cowboys in their win over Green Bay with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting along with five rebounds. Senior forward Abou Ousmane added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Davonte Davis and Marchelus Avery added 10 points apiece.

Oklahoma State had a 19-3 edge on offensive rebounds and shot 21 of 24 from the charity stripe. The Cowboys had a bit more trouble defensively, allowing Green Bay to shoot 49.0 percent (25 of 41) from the field.

St. Thomas’ last game also came against Green Bay and surprisingly, they had a more convincing crack at them on Friday. The Tommies got out to a 20-point lead before halftime but took their foot of the gas in the second half, still walking away with a 14-point victory, one point better than Oklahoma State did four days before.

Junior guard Miles Barnstable led the charge for the Tommies over Green Bay with a 23-point performance while his backcourt partner Kendall Blue added 17 points. Senior guard Ryan Dufault added 14 points off the bench on 6 of 8 from the field.

The Tommies’ win over Green Bay was their second game of the season, as they beat Division III foe North Central (Minn.) by 25 in the season opener. Barnstable led the team in scoring in that game as well with 16 points, bringing his average across the first two games to 19.5.

Gottlieb came away impressed with the program St. Thomas coach Johnny Tauer is building.

“We knew how well-coached this team was,” Gottlieb said. “(Tauer’s) been doing this to people for a long time, and I think our guys respected St. Thomas but we didn’t have the disposition.

“They’re expertly coached in spacing. They play off two feet beautifully. They’re tough. They’re smart. They play together. That’s what a basketball team looks like.”

If Tauer and the Tommies can overcome Oklahoma State on Sunday, they’ll already be off to the best start in their time as a DI program.