There’s a saying that when it rains, it pours. Colorado’s first season back in the Big 12 has been a torrential downpour.

The Buffs had a good chance on paper to get their first win in Big 12 play on Saturday against Oklahoma State, which came into the game just 1-4 in conference play. However, foul trouble and rebounding doomed Colorado’s chances in an 83-73 loss that was controlled by the Cowboys from start to finish.

RJ Smith and Elijah Malone both returned for Colorado (9-8, 0-6 Big 12) after the two of them missed Wednesday’s loss to Cincinnati with injuries. Smith reentered the starting lineup while Malone came off the bench as Assane Diop and Bangot Dak got the nod in the front court.

Despite the changes to the starting lineup, any plans that Tad Boyle had for his rotation on Saturday. The Buffs quickly got into bad foul trouble early on in the game, sending Oklahoma State (10-7, 2-4) to the free-throw line time and time again. In the first six minutes of action, the Cowboys got to the line eight times to jump out to an early 9-8 lead.

After a back-and-forth opening few minutes of the game, Oklahoma State began to make its move thanks to unheralded reserve forward Pat Suemnick. The senior entered the contest averaging just over two points per game, but his energy and activity overwhelmed the Buffs throughout the first half. After a pair of Trevor Baskin free throws tied the game at 12, Suemnick scored eight of the next 11 Cowboys points including a pair of tip-in offensive rebounds to put Oklahoma State up 24-18.

While Colorado hung tough on the offensive end throughout the opening 20 minutes, it wasn’t enough to keep pace with an Oklahoma State team that entered the bonus with more than 10 minutes remaining. The Buffs finished the opening frame with 16 team fouls and the Cowboys finished the first half 21 for 26 from the free-throw line to take a 43-33 lead into the locker room.

Tad Boyle and company cut that 10-point deficit in half right out of the locker room, but Oklahoma State was able to steady itself and keep the Buffs at arm’s length while it tried to find a late run.

That run came just past the halfway point after Harrison Carrington knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to make it a 58-50 ballgame. From that point, Oklahoma State rattled off six straight points to nearly double the lead at 64-50 with nine minutes to go. A few minutes later, Cowboys guard Bryce Thompson scored five quick points as part of a 7-0 Oklahoma State run that put it ahead 76-58 with five minutes to go. The 18-point margin was Oklahoma State’s biggest lead of the day and was enough for it to coast to the finish line.

The fouls, and the inability of Colorado to play defense without fouling, was the big story of the game. Assane Diop fouled out in just eight minutes and the Buffs had four players finish with at least four fouls, severely handcuffing Boyle with his rotation decisions. Oklahoma State took advantage at the line by knocking down 31 of its 42 attempts.

Colorado also got shredded on the glass. Oklahoma State finished with a 36-23 advantage in the rebounding department and picked up 13 offensive boards resulting in 22 second-chance points. Combine that with 16 Colorado turnovers and you have another loss where the Buffs lost the possession battle in lopsided fashion.

Dak had another big day, his second in a row, with a team-high 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting and five rebounds. Freshman Sebastian Rancik also had an impressive showing with 11 points and Julian Hammond III had 10. For Oklahoma State, Thompson and Marchelus Avery both had 15 points to lead the way.

Colorado is now 0-6 in Big 12 play and it remains as the only winless team in the conference. Boyle and Buffs will get their next chance to get a win on Wednesday in Boulder against a struggling BYU squad.