STILLWATER – It was an easy night at the office as Oklahoma State rolled to an 85-51 win over Ouachita Baptist in the lone exhibition of the season for the Pokes.
The Cowboys officially start the season on Monday, Nov. 7 as they play host to UT Arlington. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
It was a good way to start the 2022-23 season, even if it was an unofficial result.
The ‘Big 3’ of Avery Anderson III, Bryce Thompson and Moussa Cisse combined for 40 points, with Cisse leading the way with 15 on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor, 3-of-7 from the free throw line, with 17 rebounds, four blocks and three steals.
Watch: Mike Boynton and select players discuss 85-51 win over Ouachita Baptist
Anderson III finished with 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting, three assists and two blocks, while Thompson finished with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor, five rebounds and three assists.
It was a first half block party for the Cowboys as they recorded six blocks in the opening half, with two going to Cisse.
The Cowboys jumped out to a 24-8 lead over the Tigers just over 10 minutes in the game and continued to get more comfortable as the half progressed.
Junior Woody Newton had one of the best performances up this this point of his time in Stillwater. He dropped eight points in the first half, with six coming from beyond the three-point line.
Newton finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and seven rebounds. His official career-high is nine-points scored at home against Kansas State in February last season.
Senior Kalib Boone had a great bounce-back game against the Tigers as he recorded four dunks in the first half, with two coming in less than 30 seconds, the first on an impressive post spin move, which was followed by a dunk on an Anderson II steal.
The best story of the night, however, was senior guard Chris Harris Jr., who’s spent the past two seasons on the bench with knee injuries. He checked into the game just under the 14-minute mark, his first minutes since November 25, 2020. He hit a three-pointer with just over the one-minute mark left in the first half.
He’d finished the game with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor, two steals and one assist.
CaliforniaCowboy said:
a little more rough than I was hoping to see for an exhibition.
the areas we needed vast improvement, PG play, 3 PT, FT, were all just so-so.
I hope to seem some marked improvement in those areas by the first game.
Yes, free throws, or lack there of, can kill you in a close game!!!CaliforniaCowboy said:
a little more rough than I was hoping to see for an exhibition.
the areas we needed vast improvement, PG play, 3 PT, FT, were all just so-so.
I hope to seem some marked improvement in those areas by the first game.
I think the thought here is that even though it wasn't a close game, Joe, they still shot 47% from the free throw line and 30% from 3-point range. It was the first "game" of the season, so I assume those numbers will improve, but it was still a bit concerning.Joe Khatib said:Yes, free throws, or lack there of, can kill you in a close game!!!CaliforniaCowboy said:
a little more rough than I was hoping to see for an exhibition.
the areas we needed vast improvement, PG play, 3 PT, FT, were all just so-so.
I hope to seem some marked improvement in those areas by the first game.
