STILLWATER – Oklahoma State rolled to a 95-71 win over ORU in the season opener in Stillwater.
Sophomore guard Vyctorius Miller led the way in scoring for the Pokes with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, 2-of-5 from 3-point range and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
There were four other Cowboys in double figures as Christian Coleman finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor, Parsa Fallah with 15 on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor, Jaylen Curry with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor and Andrija Vukovic with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor.
Coleman became the 10th Cowboy to have a double-double in his OSU debut.
Kanye Clary also tied the program record for most ties in an OSU debut with eight.
As a team, the Cowboys shot 44% from the floor, 32% from 3-point range and 77% from the free throw line. They outrebounded the Golden Eagles 52-37, 37-26 on the defensive end. It was 15-15 on turnovers, with the Cowboys scoring 18 points on turnovers and ORU 16 points. It was 44-30 in favor of the Pokes in points in the paint.
It was a much tighter first half than Steve Lutz and the Cowboys wanted as they went in the break leading the Golden Eagles by only four points, 50-46. The Cowboys shot 46% in the first half, just 33% from 3-point range and 67% from the free throw line.
The Cowboys were able to extend their lead up to 10 points just over 12 minutes left in the half on a six-point run, their longest scoring run of the first half as well.
One of the main issues that faced the Pokes in the first half was the defense of former OSU player, Connor Dow. The Cowboys scored just 24 first half points in the paint, which coincided with Dow recording five blocks down low. As a team, the Golden Eagles combined for eight.
The Pokes came out of the halftime break on fire as they went on a quick 6-0 run to make it a 10-point game, 56-46, and force an ORU timeout. Guard Jack Turner had an offensive foul out of the break, which led to a Christian Coleman dunk on the other end to extend the lead out to 12 before an ORU 3-pointer silenced the crowd on the other end.
The Cowboys really took control of the game just under the nine-minute mark of the second half. Vyctorius Miller was fouled in the corner and made the 3-point basket and the free throw to put the Pokes up 15. That was followed by an ORU turnover and another 3-pointer, this time from Christian Coleman. Less than minute later, Parsa Fallah stole a bad pass from Turner, leading to a fastbreak dunk on the other end to make it 81-61.
The largest lead of the game for the Pokes came with 2:23 left in the game when they went up 95-71.
The Pokes are back in action this coming Sunday as they play host to Texas A&M for a 1 p.m. tip.
