STILLWATER, Okla. -- Freshman forward Teddy Allen has played consistently well early in this first season for West Virginia.

Still, his opener in the rugged Big 12, on the road at Oklahoma State, figured to be different. Or did it?

Allen scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the second half Friday night, leading the No. 7 Mountaineers as they rallied for an 85-79 win at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

"(My teammates) were getting me ready and just telling me, it's a whole different game than the games we've played," said Allen said. "I kind of just mentally prepared and had some good practices. I was ready."

Allen, after making just 1 of 3 shots in four minutes of playing time in the first half, made 6 of his 8 attempts over the final 20 minutes to lift West Virginia (12-1, 1-0 Big 12). He led six Mountaineers in double-digit scoring, fueling a rally from seven points down with 15:07 remaining.

Guards Jeffrey Carroll and Tavarius Shine each scored 17 points to lead Oklahoma State (10-3, 0-1). But the Cowboys, the nation's No. 2 free throw shooting team entering the game, made just 11 of 19 from the line in the second half, creating an opening that the Mountaineers seized for their surge. Carroll, an 80.6 percent foul shooter, went 5-of-10 from the line in the second half.

"I really don't miss free throws like that," Carroll said. "Just focus."

Forward Sagaba Konate added 13 points and guards Javon Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. added 12 among six Mountaineers to finish in double figures scoring.

Both teams claim defensive identities -- and it showed, as each reached a season-high for turnovers. West Virginia forced 21 turnovers and Oklahoma State 18, and the two teams combined for 22 steals.

"They play a hell of a D," said Miles Jr. "They play great defense, but I think we started executing offense toward the end of the game when we needed it most."

The Mountaineers are known for defense, playing under the alter ego of Press Virginia. Yet the Cowboys are developing a defensive reputation as well. They held West Virginia to 43.9 percent shooting from the floor and forced Carter, one of the top guards in the league and the Mountaineers' unquestioned leader, into eight turnovers.

"They really took us out of what we wanted to do," said West Virginia coach Bob Huggins. "I couldn't get our guys to understand, you watch them on film and they really play hard and conceptually they do some really good stuff and I couldn't get our guys to understand."

Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton had a hard time understanding his team's free throw struggles.

"Those are plays that stop you from being able to set your defense," Boynton said. "They stop you from building momentum. When you have the lead, it stops you from extending it, and when you're behind, it really eliminates your opportunities to press and come back."

And once West Virginia had the lead late, they never relinquished it.

The Cowboys battled to the end, still hanging within two after guard Brandon Averette produced a three-point play with :34 left, yet couldn't get any closer.

"We've been winning close games like that all year," Allen sad. "We're built like that. We grind it out."

NOTES: The Mountaineers remain on the road, without returning to Morgantown, playing at Kansas State in a New Year's Day game. West Virginia annually opens Big 12 play with back-to-back road games, kicking out two trips before classes resume from holiday break... Each of Oklahoma State's three losses have come against top-10 teams: No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 7 West Virginia and No. 8 Wichita State... Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins moved out of a tie with Jim Phelan to claim the No. 7 spot on the list for all-time winningest Division I coaches. Huggins is now 831-331 in his 36th season.