Oklahoma State Falls to UConn 74-64 in the Big 12/Big East Battle

It was a rough night out on the road in the Big 12/Big East Battle as Oklahoma State falls to No. 8 UConn, 74-64.

With the loss, the Cowboys move to 5-3 in non-conference play.

Related: OSU-UConn postgame notes

“[UConn] just kind of wore us down physically as the [first] half waned, and a lot of it had to do with [Moussa] Cisse being out with foul trouble,” head coach Mike Boynton said on the Cowboy Radio Network. “Obviously, the game changes without his presence in there to bang with [Adama] Sanogo and you’re just not able to run a fluid offense either because you don’t have him out there screening for people. But the guys fought in the second half; for getting down 17, which is a really hard deficit to overcome on the road against at top-10 team, our guys gave ourselves a chance to be within striking distance. We never really put the pressure on them, but there’s something to build on there.”

Kalib Boone led the way for the Pokes in scoring with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 5-of-7 from the free throw line. Boone also finished with eight rebounds.

Avery Anderson III and Caleb Asberry both finished in double figures, 14 points for Anderson in 5-of-13 shooting from the field, 4-of-4 from the free throw line, and Asberry 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.

It was a rough night for Moussa Cisse as he went 0-2 shooting from the field in just 16 minutes of play before fouling out in the second half. He did, however, finish the game with a game-high 10 rebounds.

It was a good start to the game for the Pokes as they were neck-and-neck with the Huskies for the first 12 minutes of the game as they took a 28-25 lead with 7:27 remaining in the half. However, that’s when the wheels fell off for the Pokes.

The Huskies got back within one with a layup, then hit seven-straight free throws to go up 34-28. They’d finish the half on a 23-3 run, with a 3-pointer from John-Michael Wright at the three-minute mark being the Pokes lone bucket of the last 7:27.

Fouls and turnovers were a big problem for the Pokes as they finished the first half with 14 team fouls, with Moussa Cisse picking up two quick fouls in the first two minutes of the game. Bryce Thompson picked up three fouls, with Avery Anderson III, Kalib Boone and Tyreek Smith all picking up two apiece. They’d record 11 more in the second half, finishing the game with 25.

As for turnovers, the Pokes turned it over 17 times, with Anderson III, Asberry and Wright all finishing with three apiece.

They did, however, outrebound UConn 39-35, including outrebounding on the defensive end, 26-22. It was tied 13-apeice on the offensive end.

The second half started much how the first half ended as Jordan Hawkins nailed a 3-pointer to extend the Huskies’ lead to 20 points, 51-31.

However, much like the start of the first half, the Cowboys played well as they went on an 8-0 to cut the deficit to just 11, 56-45. They’d go on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit back to 12, 64-52, with just over seven minutes left in the game.

The Pokes kept the game relatively close in the second half but could just never get over the hump down the stretch. Asberry hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit back to single digits, 73-64. That’d be the last bucket for the Pokes as they’d lose, 74-64.

Next up for the Pokes is a home game against Sam Houston on Tuesday, Dec. 6. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. on ESPNU.