Oklahoma State’s Defense Prevails in Win Against Tulsa

The Cowboys’ early run carried them to a much-needed win.

The Cowboys’ offense was not pretty, but their defense took care of business.

Oklahoma State beat Tulsa 72-57 in Oklahoma City on Sunday in the team’s first win in more than two weeks. The game marked OSU’s second consecutive win against Tulsa after splitting the previous four.

Tulsa continued chipping away throughout the second half but could never get over the hump, finishing with 20 turnovers.

While OSU’s defense was enough to get the win, the offense was a clear area of concern. Despite shooting well overall, OSU could not take care of the ball, turning the ball over a season-high 28 times compared to only 23 made shots.

The beginning of the second half was particularly sloppy, with the teams combining to turn the ball over seven times before the under-16 timeout. Coming out of timeout, OSU scored five quick points and extended its lead to 17 to prompt a Tulsa timeout.

Javon Small was OSU’s leading scorer with 18 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the foul line. Quion Williams was the only other Cowboy to score in double figures with 12 and helped get some of the Cowboys’ turnovers back with three steals.

OSU’s 3-point shooting was a welcome surprise against Tulsa. From beyond the arc, OSU shot 40% on 20 attempts.

OSU’s early advantage was thanks to its defense, forcing Tulsa to shoot 9-of-26 from the floor in the first half. However, Tulsa put itself back in the game with a run near the end of the first half.

A 9-0 run in the closing minutes of the half helped the Golden Hurricane close the deficit and trailed by only nine at halftime. The Cowboys led by as much as 19 in the first half before giving up the late run.

Isaiah Miranda made his highly anticipated debut for the Cowboys, but it did not go as planned. The 7-foot-1 freshman picked up a technical foul before playing two minutes of collegiate action.

But after he came back in during the second half, his save and putback slam put his mark on an otherwise rough night.

OSU came out firing against Tulsa, taking a 17-3 lead fewer than seven minutes into the game. A balanced attack from OSU’s starting five helped get out to the advantage, as every starter was on the board already. OSU’s hot start began to waver after it began turning the ball over, including six times in four minutes midway through the first half. 

The Cowboys play their next game on Dec. 17 when another in-state rival, Oral Roberts, visits Stillwater.

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