OSU Basketball: Cowboys Survive Close Battle Against Cincinnati Bearcats
After a successful battle against No. 19 BYU last Saturday, the Oklahoma State Cowboys opted to start freshman guard Jamyron Keller once again. Their first time starting Keller, the Cowboys scored 93 points as a team. They tried to follow a similar suit as they took on the Cincinnati Bearcats.
The change continued to work, as the Cowboys defeated the Bearcats 80-76 in a tightly-contested game decided by just one possession.
The Cowboys settled in early, taking a lead in the first ten minutes of the game, which saw Brandon Garrison reach double-figures in scoring. He wouldn't score again in the half, but he finished with three rebounds, two assists and two steals at the break.
By halftime, the Cowboys led 37-32 while they shot 59 percent from the field as a team. They also did a good job slowing down Cincinnati, forcing early turnovers and only allowed them to shoot 43 percent from the field in the half.
Cowboys forward Quion Williams provided six points on 3-of-3 shooting with four rebounds in the first half, too.
Throughout the beginning of the second half, the Cowboys maintained a tight lead. They were able to do just enough to ensure they could protect their lead, but the Bearcats would take a lead just under the ten-minute mark.
The Bearcats taking the lead after the Cowboys leading much of the game left Oklahoma State playing from behind in a close game as the game was winding down.
Evidently, this is a situation the Cowboys have found themselves in all too much. Down by two, Keller was fouled on a 3-pointer, making all three free throws to give the Cowboys a lead.
While the Bearcats initially matched the bucket, Eric Dailey Jr. would knock down a huge 3-pointer to give the Cowboys a lead, followed by a John-Michael Wright 3-pointer to extend that lead.
With roughly a minute to go in the game, the Cowboys held a three-point lead with the Bearcats calling a timeout. This would pay off for the Bearcats, who secured a stop on the next possession and called another timeout, this time with 45 seconds remaining in the game.
The Bearcats opted for a 2-pointer, which trimmed the Cowboys lead to just one point. With 24 seconds left in the game, the Cowboys then called a timeout of their own.
With the clock winding down, the Cowboys had to play the foul game, which led to Javon Small free throws. He knocked both of his free throws down before the Bearcats converted on another 2-pointer. Next, Small went back to the free throw line, knocking down two more shots from the charity stripe.
In what was going to be the final attempt for the Bearcats to tie the game, the Cowboys tied up by three, forcing the Bearcats to intentionally miss the second free throw and tie the game.
The Cowboys secured the final rebound and the clock ran out, giving the Cowboys their second straight win. The Cowboys are now 12-14 on the season and 4-9 in Big 12 play.
Small led Oklahoma State with 19 points, though all five starters were in double-figures and Dailey provided nine points off the bench as the rotation remains tight.
Oklahoma State's next game comes on Saturday as the Cowboys host the Oklahoma Sooners in a bedlam rematch.
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Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's On SI in 2022