Cowboys Drop First Game of the Season, Lose to TCU 77-76
STILLWATER – Cade Cunningham had a chance to win it at the buzzer for Oklahoma State for the second game in a row, but came up just a bit short as TCU hands the Pokes their first loss of the season, 77-76. The Horned Frogs finished the game on a hot streak as they went 9-0 in the final two minutes of the game and held the Cowboys scoreless for the final two and a half minutes as they took the with just 7.6 seconds left in the game.
The Pokes fall to 6-1 on the year and 0-1 to start Big 12 play, effectively ending their 10-game winning streak that dated back to the end of the 2019-20 season.
Missed free throws plagued the Pokes all night long as they finished shooting just 65% from the charity stripe on 17-of-26 shooting. They also shot just 18% from 3-point range going 3-of-17 from beyond the arch.
Multiple Cowboys scored in double-digits against TCU, Cade Cunningham with 17-points, Rondel Walker with 12-points and Isaac Likekele and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe with 10-points apiece. But it was Cade Cunningham, the freshman phenom, and Isaac Likekele that led the way for the Pokes as Likekele led the way with nine rebounds and six assists and Cunningham with eight rebounds and three assists.
It was the same first half story for the Pokes as it has been in multiple games this season as they struggled from the floor for more than the first 20 minutes. By the time the under-12 media timeout rolled around, the Pokes were shooting just 37.5% from the field. However, the Pokes finished the first half strong as they entered the half on a 10-2 run to trail the Horned Frogs just 37-32.
The start of the second half was a little sticky to start the second half for the Pokes as they struggled from the free throw line as they were just 10-of-17 with just under nine minutes remaining in the game. But things started to change mid-way through the last 20 minutes as they started forcing quite a few TCU fouls and the Horned Frogs started picking up quite a few fouls.
One of the bright spots for the Cowboys was the fact they limited their turnovers to just 13 and allowed just 10-points off of those turnovers. On the other side, they forced 20 TCU turnovers and scored 27-points off of those turnovers. They also forced 11 second half TCU fouls.
They also outscored TCU in bench points, 35-19, and in points in the paint, 50-42.
The Cowboys turned their scoring up in the second half as they shot nearly 46% from the field, but they still struggled from the free throw line, just 60%m, which kept TCU in the game until the very end.
The Cowboys have a tall task ahead of them as they travel to Austin to face the No. 11 Texas Longhorns. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on the Longhorn Network.