Avery Anderson III Explodes for 31 Points in 85-80 Upset of No. 6 West Virginia
Oklahoma State, without two of its best players in Cade Cunningham and Isaac Likekele, took care of No. 6 West Virginia on the road picking up a 85-80 win.
With the win, the Cowboys move to 18-7 overall on the season and 11-7 in Big 12 play. It marked the third top-10 win for the Pokes since the beginning of February.
The Cowboys were up three over the Mountaineers with just over six minutes left in the game, but fouls quickly became an issue as Avery Anderson III picked up his fourth foul, becoming the fourth Cowboy in the game to do so.
About a minute later, Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe fouled out as he picked up his fifth foul of the game, allowing WVU to tie the game up at 67 from the free throw line. However, it was Keylan Boone who nailed a big three for the Pokes on the next trip down the court.
Bernard Kouma picked up his fifth foul just over two-minute left in the game. He finished with a career-high six points and 10 rebounds.
Anderson recorded the Cowboys’ 20th turnover on the day with just under a minute left, allowing for an easy layup for Taz Sherman, getting WVU back within two, 80-78. On the ensuing drive, he’d make up for it by hitting a huge isolation bucket to put the Pokes back up four with just 31 seconds left, 82-78.
The Mountaineers had a chance to tie the game with :22 left, but Keylan Boone deflected a pass inside to Derek Culver and Anderson was fouled on the in-bounds play with the Pokes up three, 83-80. He’d hit both free throws to clinch the 85-80 win over the Mountaineers.
Cade Cunningham missed just his third game of the season after suffering a sprained ankle at the end of the Baylor game on Thursday. Mike Boynton also kept Isaac Likekele out for another game to make sure his hand was completely healed after injuring it in practice for the back-to-back Bedlam games.
It was Avery Anderson III who led the way for the Pokes as he went 11-of-14 from the field for a career-high 31-points, as well as six rebounds. He did all of that playing the majority of the second half with four fouls.
The Cowboys finished with four players in double digits as MA Moncrieffe finished with 18 points, Kalib Boone with 12 points and Keylan Boone with 11 points.
One of the more impressive stats on the day is the fact the Cowboys out-rebounded WVU 38-29, while outscoring the Mountaineers in the paint 50-30. They did all of that while turning the ball over 20 times and picking up 23 fouls on the game.
The Pokes will be back in action next week with the start of the Big 12 tournament. Mike Boynton said after the game he's hopeful that both Cade Cunningham and Isaac Likekele will be available to play in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament on Thursday.