Oklahoma State 65 - Sam Houston State 51: Postgame Notes

–Oklahoma State - 65, Sam Houston - 51–

Dec. 1, 2022 | Stillwater, Oklahoma (Gallagher-Iba Arena) | Attendance: 5368

• Updated Records: Oklahoma State 6-3 overall, 0-0 Big 12 I Sam Houston 7-2 overall, 0-0 Western Athletic Conference
• Oklahoma State Leaders: Points - Bryce Thompson - 17, Assists - Avery Anderson III - 4, Rebounds - Moussa Cisse - 13
• Sam Houston Leaders: Points - Qua Grant - 15, Assists - Qua Grant, Donte Powers, Jaden Ray - 2, Rebounds - Tristan Ikpe - 5

–Game Flow–

• Bryce Thompson started the scoring for the Cowboys with a mid-range jump shot that gave the Pokes the 2-0 lead.
• Thompson was in a groove in the first half, scoring 12 of the Cowboys’ first 16 points to give OSU a 16-13 lead with 7:12 remaining in the half. The defense continued to make a huge impact, holding Sam Houston scoreless for more than four minutes.
• A 7-0 run from the Cowboys extended the lead to 23-15 after Thompson hit his fourth three-pointer of the half.
• Another 7-0 run by the Cowboys to end the half sent OSU to the locker room with a 32-20 lead, powered by six points on 3-of-4 shooting from Tyreek Smith late in the half. 
• OSU’s defense held Sam Houston without a field goal for three minutes early in the second half to give the Cowboys a 43-31 lead with 10:30 remaining in the game. 
• The Cowboys took control of the game with an 8-0 run to give them a comfortable 53-35 lead with 6:59 remaining in the contest.
• Back-to-back threes from Tyreek Smith and Avery Anderson III extended the lead to 17 with 1:46 remaining as the Cowboys got the win in Gallagher-Iba.

–Game Notes–

• Sam Houston came into the matchup ranked No. 7 in the NCAA’s initial NET Rankings with two Quad 1 wins over Oklahoma and Utah. 
• Head coach Mike Boynton has stayed with the same starting-five in all nine games this season, going with Avery Anderson III, Bryce Thompson, John-Michael Wright, Kalib Boone and Moussa Cisse.
• Bryce Thompson made four three-pointers in the first half, the most by any Cowboy this season in a half and tied for the most by a Cowboy in a game.
• Thompson scored 15 points in the first half, the third time this season he has reached double-figures scoring in a half (against SIU and Tulsa).
• Thompson finished the contest with 17 points to lead the Cowboys, the third time this season he has led the team, and fifth time he has reached double-figures scoring.
• In the first half, Sam Houston scored just 20 points, the second lowest total OSU has allowed in a half this season. The Cowboys allowed a season-low 17 in the first half against UCF on Nov. 18.
• OSU has held eight of its nine opponents to less than 35 percent shooting from the three-point line, and six of nine have shot less than 30 percent.
• The Cowboys continue to attack the offensive glass and give themselves second chances, recording at least 17 second-chance points in four-straight games. OSU scored 18 on Tuesday against the Bearkats.
• Sam Houston came into the matchup scoring an impressive 82.5 points per game in its first eight games but tied its season-low 51 points against the Cowboys’ lockdown defense. 
• Tyreek Smith led the Cowboys’ bench unit with ten points, five rebounds and his first three-point field goal since March 4, 2021, against Iowa State.
• In OSU’s last five games, Tyreek Smith is a combined 20-of-23 from the field for 46 points and 26 rebounds.
• Moussa Cisse recorded 13 rebounds in the contest and has reached double-figures in seven of the Cowboys first nine games.

–Oklahoma State’s Win…–

• Improved the Cowboys to 3-0 all-time in the Sam Houston series.
• Pushed OSU to 3-0 at home against Sam Houston.
• Is the Cowboys' 842nd win at home all-time and their 450th non-conference home win. It is also OSU's 235th non-conference home win since 1989.
• Is OSU's third-straight win at home this season. OSU has won nine of its past 12 games inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
• Gave OSU its second win over a Kenpom top-100 opponent as Sam Houston comes into the week at 92. OSU also defeated No. 95 DePaul, 82-78, in The Bahamas.
• Improved OSU to 6-3 on the season for the second-straight season through the first nine games of the year.

–Team Streaks–

• OSU has made at least one three-pointer in 736 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 13, 2001.
• OSU’s defense has been locking down its opponents, allowing less than 30 points in six of its last eight halves of basketball. 
• The Cowboys have posted ten or more assists in 18 of their past 21 games dating back to last season. 
• OSU held teams to less than 40 percent shooting from the field in 11-straight games dating back to last year and has done so in 16 of its past 18 games. 
• The Cowboys have taken advantage of their size in the front court, reaching at least ten offensive rebounds in eight of nine games this season.
• That size has also given the Cowboys an edge in the paint offensively, outscoring eight of nine opponents in the paint.
• Moussa Cisse has now recorded at least one block in each of his past 19 games. There have been just three games in his Oklahoma State career in which he did not record at least one block.
• Cisse has reached at least two blocks in 12 of the past 13 games dating back to last season, tallying 41 total in those 13 games.
• As a team, the Cowboys have reached at least three blocks in all nine games this season. OSU leads the Big 12 with 5.6 blocked shots per game.
• John-Michael Wright has recorded at least one steal in seven of the Cowboys nine games this season, tallying ten in total.
• The Cowboys have made 10 or more free throws in six of the first nine games this season after doing so in 18 of their 30 games last season. 
• The Cowboys have won three-straight games against teams from the state of Texas dating back to last season. Against teams from the Lone Star State in non-conference play, OSU has won 17 of its past 20 games dating back to the 2011-12 season.