Oklahoma State's Magical Season Comes To an End, Pokes Fall 80-70 To Oregon State
Oklahoma State’s magical season is over. Poor shooting and fouls were just too much for the Pokes to overcome and they fall 80-70 to Oregon State in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Cowboys finish the season winning 10 of the last 14 games and finish 21-9 overall, 11-7 in conference play.
It was a rough shooting night for the Pokes as they shot just 27.7% from the field, 27.6% from 3-point range and just 68.4% from the free throw line, going 26-of-38.
They were also out-rebounded 52-32 and were called for 29 fouls, with Bryce Williams and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe both fouling out, combining for just seven points.
It took him until the second half to heat up, but Cade Cunningham was solid. He finished with 24 points, five steals, four rebounds, three assists and just one turnover. In fact, that was one of the bright spots for the Pokes as they turned the ball over a season-low eight times.
Avery Anderson III finished with 16 points, 10 of which came from the free throw line, and Keylan Boone finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.
It was an explosive first half for the Beavers. The Cowboys jumped out to a 9-4 lead, with Cade Cunningham scoring six of the first nine points, but those would be his only points for nearly the rest of the half. The Beavers would go on a 12-2 run before a dunk by Kalib Boone, getting the Pokes back within three points, 16-13 with 11:03 left in first half.
Things would continue to go downhill for the Pokes as they’d go on a their second three-minute scoring drought of the half, coupled with the Beavers extending their run up to 20-4.
The Beavers would continue their impressive run as they extended their lead up to 18-points, 40-22, after an and-one by guard Jarod Lucas, then two free throws from Roman Silva.
The Pokes would enter the break with their largest deficit of the season, 14-points, down 44-30. The Beavers out-rebounded the Pokes in the first half, 25-14, while shooting 100% from the free throw line going 14-of-14 while going 6-of-10 from 3-point range.
Cunningham hit a big 3-point basket, his first bucket since just under the 16-minute mark of the first half, to get the Pokes within 11-points, 48-37. After forcing five turnovers in less than three minutes, Cunningham rose up and nailed another three, then Bryce Williams was fouled on a fastbreak and hit a free throw to get the Pokes back within seven points, 50-43.
A bucket by Kouma would extend the Pokes run up to 8-0 to get the Pokes within five points, 50-45, but fouled Tariq Silver on the other end, who made the shot, but couldn’t hit the and-one.
The Pokes got within two, but the Beavers went on a quick 8-1 run to extend their lead back up to nine points, 62-53, a run that also included a six-and-a-half-minute stretch where the Pokes failed to hit a field goal.
Avery Anderson III broke that scoreless stretch for the Pokes getting them back within eight points, 66-58 with just under five minutes to play. Then Bryce Williams hit his first 3-pointer of the game to get them within six, but he picked up his fifth foul on an and-one shot for Ethan Thompson to put the Beavers back up nine points, 70-61.
Enter Keylan Boone. He hit a step-back 3-pointer, then Cunningham stole the in-bounds pass and hit a huge three of his own to get the Pokes within three, 70-67, with 3:39 left in the game.
However, those would be the last two field goals of the game for the Pokes as they’d go cold from the field for the remainder of the game, with the Beavers finishing on a 10-3 run.