STILLWATER – After a bit of a slow start, Oklahoma State pulled away for an impressive 65-51 win over Sam Houston State.
With the win, the Cowboys move to 6-3 on the season and will face Virginia Tech in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational in Brooklyn, NY, on Sunday, Dec. 11 with a 1 p.m. CT tip on ESPN2.
“Quad 1 win, we’ll certainly take it,” head coach Mike Boynton said on the Cowboy Radio Network. “Credit to [Sam Houston State]. I’m a perspective guy; I was in a league with those guys, and I remember being on that side of it and playing a different style then a Big 12 team and feeling like that would give you a chance. They way they play, it gives them a chance because they muddy it up, they make it really physical; the refs can’t call all [the fouls] and credit to [SHSU] for sticking to their plan and more credit to our guys for continuing to stick to our plan and playing the game the right way and getting the shots we needed, shooting obviously a pretty good percentage and closing out the game late.”
Bryce Thompson led the way in scoring for the Pokes as he went 6-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-6 from 3-point range for 17 points. He also recorded three assists and two turnovers with three turnovers.
15 of Thompson’s 17 came in the first half on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
Mike Boynton and Co. had a trio of Cowboys who posted each posted 10 points, Avery Anderson III on 3-of-8 shooting from the field, John-Michael Wright on 4-of-6 shooting and Tyreek Smith on 4-of-5 shooting.
As a team, the Cowboys shot a combined 47% from the floor, while going 38% from 3-point range and 71% from the free throw line.
Moussa Cisse led the way in rebounds with 11, allowing the Cowboys to outrebound the Bearkats 37-22.
It was a bit of a slow start to the game for the Pokes, as they trailed 13-10 at the 10:50 mark in the first half. They did, however, force multiple first-half shot clock violations. That, combined with a great first half from Bryce Thompson, allowed the Pokes to pull away down the stretch and enter the break with a 12-point lead, 32-20.
Much like the first half, it was a slow start to the second half for the Pokes. They combined for six turnovers in the first four minutes, combined with zero points and just two field goal attempts, allowing the Bearkats to cut the Pokes’ leads to just five points, 32-27.
That’s when the Pokes turned things around on both ends of the floor as they extend their lead back up to double-digits, 19 points, following back-to-back threes from Tyreek Smith and Avery Anderson III with less than three minutes left in the game.
