Big Second-Half Run Leads Oklahoma State Past New Orleans
John-Michael Wright’s steal and slam put an exclamation point on Oklahoma State’s big second half.
OSU beat New Orleans 96-68 for its second win of the season. A massive second-half run propelled OSU to snap the two-game losing streak.
While New Orleans kept it close for much of the game, OSU pulled away in the second half. OSU used a 22-0 run to extend its lead to 27 and never looked back.
Javon Small picked up where he left off in Brooklyn. Small nailed a couple of 3-pointers in the first two minutes on his way to 13 first-half points.
But with three fouls before halftime, Small played sparingly to end the half. Small scored only three in the second half but finished with six assists.
Mike Marsh provided an inside presence for OSU. The big man finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
Jordan Johnson led the way for New Orleans with 23 points. The guard also dished out two assists but could not lead his team to a win.
OSU’s shooting was a problematic area again. OSU shot just 14-of-24 from the free-throw line.
Connor Dow helped the Cowboys’ outside shooting. Although the Cowboys shot only 34.5% from deep, Dow nailed two 3-pointers to help space the floor.
The beginning of the second half saw little fluctuation on the scoreboard. Eric Dailey made his mark in the second half and finished with 14 points, as OSU never trailed.
Jamyron Keller and Wright also finished in double digits. They were two of OSU’s five players to score at least 10 points.
The Cowboys struggled to hang on to the ball in the first half, turning it over nine times. Still, their 43-point performance in the half helped set up their blowout win.
OSU used an 8-0 run to extend its lead midway through the first half to nine. New Orleans cut the lead to as few as one before OSU took a six-point lead to halftime.
OSU will look to build on Monday’s win as it plays the second of three straight home games against Houston Christian on Friday.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.