Cowboys and Jayhawks Scrap It Out to the Wire

STILLWATER – For the second time in just over a week Oklahoma State had a big time lead over a ranked team as with 9:16 to go the Cowboys led No. 6 Kansas 65-49. It was reminiscent of the 19 point lead the Pokes had over West Virginia on a Big Monday with 11:15 left in the game and lost to the Mountaineers 87-84. This one had all the trappings of a crushing repeat.

The Cowboys had a mixture of turnovers, bad shots, and Kansas got hot with some threes from Ocahi Agbaji and three straight lay-ins, including a tear drop by Marcus Garrett that at the 3:02 mark gave Kansas had the lead at 68-67. The only interruption in the Kansas run was Bryce Williams with a steal and a tomahawk slam dunk, but that didn’t stop Kansas on their 19-to-2 run. However, this time the Cowboys didn’t fade totally away. The Pokes had a comeback in them.

Where we’ve changed is now we have an identity and we know what we need to succeed,” head coach Mike Boynton said after the game.

The real moment of truth for the Cowboys and the Jayhawks came after David McCormick of the Jayhawks hit a 12-footer to give KU a 70-67 lead. The next possession for the Cowboys Isaac Likekele had the ball in his hands late and the hot potato meant he had to take the three from the corner. Likekele nailed it to tie the game at 70-70.

“Part of it is his confidence that he can hit it,” Boynton said of Likekele’s shots, part of his 10 points. “His confidence is there from shooting early morning and late night. I also think they left him uncovered. I’m pretty sure they had two guys on Cade (Cunningham).”

Aaron Hester

Threes aren’t Isaac Likekele’s main talent, but he proves he can do whatever it takes to win.

The lead was back to the Cowboys when Cade Cunningham, who finished with 18 points, seven rebound, and three assists; but no rebound bigger than the one where he hit Williams, who hit Rondel Walker and his lay in crept over the rim for the lead. A free throw added on the foul made it 73-70.

It stayed that way as Kansas couldn’t convert. They fouled Williams, who was four-for-four at that point but missed the front end of the one-and-one.

Kansas had one last gasp but missed a pair of threes by Agbaji only to see the ball go out of bounds with 4.2 seconds left. Oklahoma State intercepted the inbounds pass and Williams crushed a slam at the buzzer on the other end for an exclamation point on the 75-70 win.

It was too bad that the showdown at home with Kansas was on ESPN Plus and streaming instead of the mothership ESPN because of the finish and the show that Cade Cunningham put on in the first half. After scoring just five points in the win on Saturday at Kansas State. Cunningham took off in the first half against Kansas.

Ocahi Agbaji (eight points) and David McCormick (12 points) were scoring early and Kansas led 18-14 after Jalen Wilson knocked down a 10-foot jumper off an Oklahoma State turnover. The rest of the half the Pokes outscored Kansas 32-17 and a lot of it was Cade Cunningham.

The Cowboy highly touted freshman had 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists by intermission. As a team, Oklahoma State shot 56 percent from the field and 58 percent from three-point range.

Cunningham started the turnaround with a jumper to make it 18-16 and then followed with a three-pointer on a pass from Isaac Likekele as his long-range jumper from the wing made it 19-18. Then he finished off a 10-0 run inside the larger scoring advantage with another three as he sailed it in from the wing to make it 24-18. Kansas dependable Christian Braun stole a Cunningham to Likekele pass and scored to make it 24-20.

Aaron Hester

Cunningham was on fire through the final 15 minutes of the first half.

Cunningham wasn’t alone as the Cowboys took off again with Rondel Walker off the bench for a three-pointer, Avery Anderson III was huge as he knocked down a three and then came up big with lay-ups from two of the best passers on the Oklahoma State team.

With 2:37 to go in the half Anderson was streaking down the right side of the floor as Cunningham rebounded a miss three-point launch by Wilson and he led Anderson perfect for the lay-in and the foul. Oklahoma State was up 43-30. Less than 15 seconds later Isaac Likekele stole the ball clean from Harris and found Anderson down the left side and a left-handed lay in to make it 46-30.

Kansas closed out the half on a 5-0 run and Cunningham missed a three at the halftime buzzer, but it was one of the few things he did wrong as the Cowboys had the biggest halftime advantage on Kansas all season 46-35.

After sweating out another potential comeback from way back, the Cowboys celebrate another win over Kansas at Gallagher-Iba as they have won five of the last eight. The Cowboys move to 9-3 on the season and 3-3 in Big 12 play. Kansas falls to 10-3 and 4-2 in conference play. The Cowboys host Oklahoma for Bedlam at 7 p.m. on Saturday.