Cowboys Dominate Second Half in 83-66 Bedlam Win Over OU
STILLWATER – In front of the biggest crowd of the season, Oklahoma State had a great finish to the first half, and an excellent start, and finish to the second half as they rolled to an 83-66 win over Oklahoma.
The 17-point win marked the Pokes' largest win against OU since Feb. 13, 2010 when OSU beat the Sooners 97-76 in GIA. With the win, Oklahoma State moved to 14-13 on the season and 4-10 in Big 12 play.
"It's Bedlam, it means more," said head coach Mike Boynton. "Our kids played that way. Big picture-wise, our team continues to get better and that's a credit to them. There obviously was an opportunity about three or four weeks ago to start hanging their heads and feeling sorry for themselves and they haven't done that. Credit to the type of people they are, their parents and to the staff that I have that they were able to keep these guys in a positive frame of mind."
The Cowboys started the second half on an 8-0 run on 4-of-4 shooting from the field before the Sooners hit their first bucket of the half nearly four minutes in. With the run, the Pokes took a double-digit lead, 14 points and there wouldn’t be too many times where OSU would give up that double-digit lead.
The Cowboys went cold from the field for nearly four minutes in the second half. They went scoreless from the field from the 13-minute mark until Cameron McGriff knocked down an and-one layup and converted the free throw for his first points of the second half.
From there, the Cowboys would go on a 14-2 run jumping out to a 73-55 lead with 4:23 left in the game.
Things started to get a little chippy in the arena as the Cowboys were called for their seventh team foul of the half with just over 15 minutes left in the game. For comparison, with just under 13 minutes left in the game, the Cowboys were called for 11 team fouls compared to just three for OU.
By the end of the second half, the Cowboys were called for 19 fouls compared to just 11 for OU. For the game, OSU was called for 26 points compared to 19 for OU.
It was big men Cameron McGriff and Kalib Boone that led the Pokes in scoring on the day. The senior McGriff finished with 28 points, while the freshman Ka. Boone finished with 14 points.
"I'll be perfectly honest, McGriff tried to [step up and lead the team] leading into the last game in Norman and it was kind of like he needed to get some more guys with him," said coach Boynton. "Cam's been our most consistent player for about five or six weeks. Even in the games we haven't won, he's played pretty well. At the end of the day, it's about players. You got to have talented guys, you have to have experienced guys who understand what it takes to win.
"I've said it time and time again, this game honors hard work and it gives you an opportunity to experience success when you handle it the right way. Cam McGriff's handled everything that's been thrown at him for four years the right way. He's worked as hard as anybody I've ever been around, he's had a great attitude about it. I'm sure there's been some frustrating moments, but he's been the type of leader that we've needed. I'm proud the numbers showed up the way they did today.
The Cowboys would also out-rebound the Sooners 43-30.
After going off for 30 against the Pokes back on Feb. 1 in Norman, the Cowboys held Brady Manek to just two points.
It was a slow start the first half for Oklahoma State as OU jumped out to a quick 9-2 run. The Cowboys made cut the lead to 10-6 before the Sooners jumped out to a 10-point lead 21-11. That’s when OSU started to feel it. The Pokes held OU scoreless while going on a 12-0 run and taking a three-point lead 24-21.
The Cowboys would finish the first half strong hitting six out of seven field goals and going into halftime with a 42-36 lead. Cameron McGriff and Kalib Boone each had a great start as they finished the first half with 16 and 12 points respectively.
The Cowboys would finish the first half shooting 44 percent from the field and 90 percent from the free throw line as they sunk 9-of-10 from the line.
