Oklahoma State Holds On to Beat Cincinnati 80-76 for First Big 12 Road Win of 2023-24

Oklahoma State recorded its first road win of Big 12 play Wednesday evening as they beat Cincinnati 80-76. With the win, the Cowboys move to 12-14 on the season and 4-9 in Big 12 play. It also gives the Pokes back-to-back wins for the first time since the turn of the calendar.

“I’m really, really proud of our kids, not just for tonight but the way they have stayed in there,” head coach Mike Boynton said to John Holcomb on the radio postgame. “We haven’t played the way we wanted to, Big 12 play didnt’t start the way we wanted it to but for them to keep going, keep improving. True character is revealed when you are challenged. These kids have shown that.”

Javon Small led the way for the Pokes with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, with three assists and six turnovers.

“That felt really good,” Small said to John Holcomb of the Cowboy Radio Network. “It was good that we could make shots  and do what was needed at the end to get this win.”

Freshman Jamyron Keller continued his great play as he finished with 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

“It felt good to see that last one drop,” Keller said of the last free throw he hit when asked on the Cowboy Network. “It took us staying together as a team. The little things lead to the big things, like guarding your man and making that good pass. We can’t stop here. This is a good win, just like Saturday, but we need to keep going off this.”

Brandon Garrison finished with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, Quion Williams finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and John-Michael Wright finished with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting.

As a team, the Cowboys had a blistering night shooting the ball, going 56% from the field, 41% from 3-point range and 93% from the free throw line.

They were out-rebounded 32-26, 13-6 on the offensive end and Cincy had 26 points off the bench to just six from the Pokes.

However, the Cowboys kept in the game by going toe-to-toe in the paint with a solid inside team, scoring 40 points down low.

It was a solid first half of basketball for the Pokes as they entered the break on top, 37-32. They were led by freshman Brandon Garrison, who had 10 points in the first frame. While the Pokes didn’t post their most points in a half, or limit turnovers, they did, however, shoot nearly 60% from the field and had a response to every Bearcat run.

Cincy went on a quick 8-0 run in the first five minutes of the game to go up 10-4, while forcing three OSU turnovers during that time.

The Cowboys responded in kind by going on a 13-2 run a few minutes later, hitting 8-of-9 baskets and forcing seven turnovers through the first 11 minutes of the game. That run gave them their largest lead of the game up to that point, 25-18.

Out of the following media timeout, the Pokes turned it over three times in two minutes, while going on a four-minute scoring drought. Quion Williams responded by ending that drought to put the Pokes up two, 27-25.

It was back and forth in the first five minutes of the second half as the Cowboys held a three-point lead, 45-42. Through that point, the Cowboys had really taken advantage of turnovers as the comparison was 12 points for the Pokes to just two for the Bearcats through the first six minutes.

The Cowboys went on yet another multi-minute scoring drought, with Cincy getting back within one, 45-44, and most of the momentum before John-Michael Wright hit a huge, and highly contested 3-point bucket, just the fourth of the game for the Pokes, to go back up four, 48-44 with 13 minutes left in the game. That led to a Cincy turnover and a two-minute scoring drought on the other end.

They’d end that drought just a few plays later and then went on a 9-0 run to take their first lead since 18-17 early in the game, which was combined with a near-three-minute scoring drought on the other end for the Pokes, to go up 55-50 to force an OSU timeout.

Javon Small ended the scoring drought and Cincy run by getting downhill in the paint and hitting a layup off the glass. After an airball on the other end, Small hit a circus layup to tie the game back up, 54-54, just over eight minutes left.

Turnovers and poor defense started to become an issue down the stretch for the Pokes, who seemingly ran out of gas with just six minutes left in the game.

Day-Day Thomas hit two free throws out of the media time, putting Cincy up 61-56, before Jamyron Keller hit a bucket int the paint to get back within three, 61-58. He then hit a big 3-pointer on their next possession to make it a two-point game, 63-61.

Keller was fouled shooting a three just ahead of the under-four media time, sending him to the line out of the break. He drilled all three, giving the Pokes a one-point lead, 66-65, with 3:42 left in the game.

The Cowboys forced another turnover following a made 3-pointer from Dailey, putting the Pokes back up one, 69-68. Dailey rebounded his own miss under the basket, kicked it out to Wright, who drilled a huge corner three, putting the Pokes up four, 72-68, and a 6-0 run. Williams continued that run with two-made free throws following another Cincy turnover.

A three from Lukosius on the other end, Cincy’s first of the second half, makes it a three-point game once again, 74-71, with 1:17 left in the game. Skillings got the Bearcats back within one, 74-73, with 24 seconds left, leading to an OSU timeout.

With the ball, no shot clock out of a timeout and two Cincy fouls to give, Keller was fouled on the in-bounds, making it one foul before the Pokes made it to the bonus. Williams heaved it passed mid-court to Wright before a Cincy foul with 20.5 seconds left. Small, an 86% free throw shooter, was fouled on the inbounds, sending him to the line, where he hit both shots to go back up three, 76-73.

A cutback bucket by Cincy led to Small going back to the free throw line on an inbounds, who put the Pokes back up three, 78-75, and leading to the Pokes final timeout to draw up a defensive set with just 7.5 seconds left.

“That is our philosophy, it’s no secret. We are going to foul in that situation,” Boynton said of fouling up three in the last eight seconds. “Then we executed the way we needed to.”

The Bearcats were fouled on the inbounds play, but hit just one of the free throws and Keller scooped up the rebound to ice the game.