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Oklahoma State Basketball

Oklahoma State Survives Opening Round of NIT With 69-64 Win Over Youngstown State

March 15, 2023
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After a disappointing start to the game, the No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma State Cowboys came alive late to beat Youngstown State, 69-64.

With the win, the Cowboys move to 19-15 overall on the season and will face Eastern Washington on Sunday. Tipoff time has yet to be announced.

“I told them how proud I am of them because the emotions of getting where we are, both physically and psychologically, wasn’t easy,” Mike Boynton told the Cowboy Radio Network after the game. “Obviously, we thought we had done enough to be playing in the other tournament and didn’t work out that way. A number of reasons why, but this first game of this tournament, in my experience, is always the most difficult one, particularly when you come on the road against a really good team who doesn’t see teams like you all the time in their home place. It’s a great environment out there and I’m really proud of our guys for showing the grit, tenacity and toughness to guard well enough for a stretch, then make some timely baskets to come out of here with a win.”

For the first time since November 14, 2009, the Cowboys had three players record double-doubles: Tyreek Smith led the Cowboys in scoring with 13 points and 12 rebounds, freshman Quion Williams recorded his first career-double-double with 11 points and 11 boards and Moussa Cisse finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds, 10 coming on the defensive end.

It wasn’t the best shooting night for the Cowboys but they figured it out down the stretch to finish the game shooting 36% from the field, but just 21% from 3-point range. They also shot 87% from the free throw line.

The Cowboys outrebounded the Penguins 49 to 34, 30-24 on the defensive end and 19-10 on the offensive end. They also held them to 35% shooting from the field and 28% from 3-point range.

It was a rough start out of the gate for the Cowboys as the Penguins held a lead for more than 10 minutes of the first half. They last lead the Cowboys had was 7-5 following a Tyreek Smith dunk at the 17:01 mark. Smith tied the game up at 11 at the 13:53 mark, but the Penguins were able to extend their lead up to nine, 30-21 with 4:10 remaining in the first half.

The Cowboys started the game going 0-of-8 from 3-point range until Caleb Asberry hit a three with just two minutes left in the half. He’d hit a second three as time expired in the first half to make it a four-point game at the break, 37-33.

The Cowboys went into the break shooting just 32% from the field and 17% from 3-point range. Tyreek Smith led the way in the first half with 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting and eight rebounds.

Moussa Cisse played just a handful of minutes in the first half as he collected two quick fouls.

The Penguins hit two free throws out of the break to make it a six-point game, 39-33, before John-Michael Wright hit a deep three as the shot clock expired a minute into the second half to make it a three-point game, 39-36.

Cisse picked up his third foul of the game less than two minutes into the second half. He’d play a few more minutes before being subbed for Kalib Boone.

Woody Newton made it a two-point game with 12:13 left in the game, 49-47, his first points of the game. A dunk by Cisse five minutes later made it just a one-point game, 52-51, with 7:40 remaining. Less than a minute later, a layup from Quion Williams gave the Pokes their first lead since that 7-5 lead three minutes into the game. Williams was fouled on the layup and made the free throw, putting the Pokes up 54-52.

The Penguins tied it up at 54-all with six minutes left to play on a goaltending call on Smith, but a layup by Wright put the Pokes back up by two, 56-54. The Cowboys took their largest lead of the game on a jumper from Thompson, 62-54, with 1:33 left in the game.

Asberry hit one of two free throws with :31 left in the game, putting the Pokes up five, 65-60. He then recorded an impressive dunk with :18 left to put the Pokes up seven, 67-60.

Williams threw the ball away trying to get it to Thompson, leading to a Youngstown State dunk and making it a three-point game with just :11 remaining, 67-64. Asberry drilled two free throws after being fouled on the in-bounds, putting the Cowboys back up five, 69-64, to give the Pokes the win.

While the Cowboys struggled for most of the game, it was incredibly important the Cowboys won this game. They’re the No. 1 overall seed in the NIT and were just one spot out of the NCAA tournament. So, no question motivation was a bit hard to come by. However, even without knowing Bob Stoops sent the Penguins team a video message saying he knows how to beat Oklahoma State and they should win one for the university, the Cowboys moving on shows a ton of grit of determination. Let’s just hope the shooting is better in Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday.

Discussion from...

Oklahoma State Survives Opening Round of NIT With 69-64 Win Over Youngstown State

2,156 Views | 4 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by RodeoPoke
GumbyFromPokeyLand
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I guess Boone is in the doghouse. If we had the K Boone of the mid season, the game wouldn't have been close.
missouripoke
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I heard a few times Boone was not feeling well
NJAggie
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Really proud of these young men. On Sunday they found out they weren't getting their goal for the year, and had to not just settle for the NIT, but do so on the road to open.

That's a bit like a top 4 seed in wrestling losing in the first round. They can easily go down to the conso's and blow that next math and be out in two. These kids took the blows and found a way to gut it out, and move on. That's not easy, and hopefully that gets them looking at that 3rd place finish as their new goal, and they can go on and win this thing.
RodeoPoke
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NJAggie said:

Really proud of these young men. On Sunday they found out they weren't getting their goal for the year, and had to not just settle for the NIT, but do so on the road to open.

That's a bit like a top 4 seed in wrestling losing in the first round. They can easily go down to the conso's and blow that next math and be out in two. These kids took the blows and found a way to gut it out, and move on. That's not easy, and hopefully that gets them looking at that 3rd place finish as their new goal, and they can go on and win this thing.
:Pa-lease.....

we were the superior team and we should have spanked them silly. They were crafty and drove on Cisse getting him into foul trouble early. We got through that and beat them going away.

Eastern Washington is a decent team who beat a Pac12 team, it has nothing to do with anything you mentioned.

Basketball is a game of matchups. We need to look up some info on EWU and figure out what to expect from there... and it has ZERO to do with "poor me".

Come on folks, these are adults, not 6th graders.
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