Oklahoma State Struggles Mightily in 100-75 Loss to TCU

It was a rough day from the opening tip to the closing buzzer as Oklahoma State fell to TCU, 100-75.

With the loss, the Cowboys have now dropped two-straight and moved to 16-11 overall and 7-7 in Big 12 play.

“Played against a really good TCU team who played really well today,” Mike Boynton said on the Cowboy Radio Network. “Obviously, we didn’t play well, we played poorly and that combination is indicative of the final score. We’ve got to get better, but we’ve got to understand that it wasn’t all us, TCU was really good. They got their best player back and played with a sense of urgency that we didn’t have and it’s on me and my staff to get it figured out over the next 36 hours before we go to Morgantown.”

After a 27-point performance against Kansas earlier this week, senior center Kalib Boone played just 10 minutes against the Horned Frogs, scoring just three points and picking up three fouls.

It was Bryce Thompson and John-Michael Wright who led the way in scoring for the Pokes with 18 points and 15 respectively. Thompson went 6-of-15 from the field, 3-of-9 from 3-point range and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. Thompson also had four rebounds, four assists, three steals and three turnovers.

As for Wright, he went 5-of-12 from the field, 3-of-8 from 3-point range.

As a team, the Cowboys shot 46% from the field, 33% from 3-point range and just 68% from the free throw line. They were outrebounded by the Horned Frogs 33-21, 26-14 on the defensive end. Turnovers were an issue for both teams as the Cowboys committed 17 turnovers and forced 16 on the other end, with TCU scoring 21 points off of turnovers and the Cowboys just 14.

The biggest discrepancy, however, came in the paint with the Horned Frogs outscoring the Pokes down low, 50-20. With Boone out most of the game, the trio of Moussa Cisse, Woody Newton and Tyreek Smith scoring just 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting.

Bryce Thompson ended a more than three-minute scoring drought for the Pokes following the 3-pointer by Caleb Asberry at the 11:13 mark. Thompson was fouled by Micah Peavy on a mid-range jumper, then proceeded to sink two free throws, two important buckets as Thompson entered the game shooting just 56% from the charity stripe.

The Pokes went on four-plus minute scoring drought following Thompson’s free throws, which included a couple of missed free throws and turnovers. That was coupled with a 11-0 TCU run on the other end during that same period, giving the Horned Frogs their largest lead of the game, 33-21. It was Asberry who needed that drought with another big three, getting the Pokes back within nine, 33-24.

The Cowboys went into halftime trailing TCU by 20 points, 47-27. Turnovers and points in the paint were a major issue for the Pokes as they turned it over 11 times, which led to 14 points on the other end. The Horned Frogs also outscored the Pokes 20-2 in the paint in the first 20 minutes.

The second half went much the same way as the first half, with the Horned Frogs threatening to extend their lead at least 30 several times. Their largest lead of the game being 27 points, 59-32.

The Cowboys will stay out on the road as they travel to Morgantown, WV, for a showdown against the Mountaineers. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on Monday, Feb. 20 and will be televised on ESPN2.