BYU Uses Second Half Run Out of the Locker Room to Bury Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State had battled in front of a packed house in the first half against No. 20 BYU. Honestly, the Cougars had more to play for. Oklahoma State was locked in as the No. 13 seed in the upcoming Big 12 Tournament when West Virginia was beaten in Cincinnati earlier in the day. The Cowboys will play the first game at 11:30 a.m. in the T.Mobile Center against No. 12 seed UCF. However, BYU had a chance to pass Kansas and take the No. 5 seed with a win over the Pokes. They also wanted some revenge for a 93-83 loss to the Cowboys in Stillwater. The Cougars got what they wanted finishing with a 85-71 win.
BYU finishes the regular season 22-9 and 10-8 in Big 12 play. Oklahoma State finished a rough season that has led to all kinds of discussion about head coach Mike Boynton’s future with a 12-19 mark and 4-14 in the Big 12.
Coming out for the second half with just a three point lead BYU took command with a 10-0 run. Aly Khalifa found Spencer Johnson for a three-pointer on the wing to open up the second half scoring to make it 35-29 to start the second half. Johnson midhandled the ball inside but still was able to hit a lay up coming down the baseline to make it 39-29.
Khalifa polished off the 10-0 run that opened the half with a three pointer from the top of the key for a 42-29 lead. Give Johnson the assist with a between the legs pass to the big man.,The lead just continued to build. around the 10 minute mark as Johnson buried a three to make it 58-37. It was at that point that BYU was seven-of-eight from three-point range in the second half.
The Cowboys still did not quit as a mostly freshman line-up kept pushing and actually cut the lead to 10 points at 67-57 with free throws from little used Justin McBride. They came back again with 2:52 left Javon Small hit a three from way out and was fouled. He hit the free throw for the four-point play to make it 76-65. Small was the only Cowboy in double figures as he scored more points on BYU than any individual opponent this season with 34 points.
“We came into halftime confident and believing we had a chance to win the game,” Small said. “We have to have the same fight we had after they made their run before they make that run.”
“It does,” McBride said about the game being near even with the exception of the start of the second half. “They came out and had a 10-point run to start the second half and we can’t do that. We have to have a sense of energy. We need to come back in the Big 12 and do it for our seniors. We have to have that urgency.”
“They got that first three and that gave them confidence,” head coach Mike Boynton said. “Then we had a few turnovers and they got some tranistion baskets and we can’t allow that to happen. I’m proud of their fight and we have to get to Kansas City tomorrow and get ready for UCF on Tuesday.”
Rebounding was near even with BYU outboarding the Cowboys 35-33. Oklahoma State shot 45 percent from the field and 29 percent from three-point range. The difference is BYU shot 51 percent from the field and with that strong second half almost 39 percent from three-point range.
Anybody that thought Oklahoma State was done for the season had to admit they were wrong in the first half. Key words being first half. The Cowboys started the game with a 6-0 lead in front of the full house in the Marriott Center as they hit a pair of three-pointers including John-Michael Wright taking advantage of an extra pass and hitting from the wing.
However, it was BYU that showed off more from beyond the arch as 6-11 Noah Waterman camped out in the corner and missed a three but his teammates rebounded and kicked it back out for a second chance from the same spot and he nailed it to tie the game early at 6-6.
The Cougars only hit 4-of-19 from three but they were important as Aly Khakifa to make it 21-14. The next trip down the floor, Waterman hit a three from the opposite corner and it was 24-17 in favor of BYU.
Mike Boynton used his time outs in the first half to really get his players re-engaged and there were some dramatic buckets late in the first half as Cunningham got a rebound on the defensive end and threw a pass int o open floor that Q. Williams caught up to and drove the ball down the middle and pulled off a dipsy doo move shifting to the underhand lay up and pulling Oklahoma State to 28-23.
The Cowboys would not go away as Cunningham turned just outside the paint for a face up jumper to make it 30-27. Then Eric Dailey absolutely quieted the home crowd in the final seconds of the half with a monster, posterizing dunk over two Cougars to make it 32-29 and that is how the first half ended.