Javon Small’s Second Half Not Enough to Lift Oklahoma State Over Notre Dame
Javon Small helped Oklahoma State force overtime but fell just short.
OSU fell 66-64 to Notre Dame on Friday in the third-place game of the Legends Classic. OSU took a four-point lead midway through overtime but lost the lead, as Small and John-Michael Wright missed potential go-ahead shots in the final seconds.
Small hit a 3-pointer to get within one point late, then Eric Dailey Jr. got fouled and split two free throws on OSU’s final offensive possession of regulation.
Small led OSU back into the game in the second half. Just past the midway point of the second half, Small nailed back-to-back 3-pointers, then drew a foul on the next possession to get three free throws. That cut OSU’s deficit to three points, but Notre Dame quickly answered with a 3-pointer on the other end.
Small finished with 29 points, 27 in the second half and overtime, to go with 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.
OSU’s struggles to shoot showed little sign of improvement against Notre Dame. OSU shot just 1-of-10 on 3-pointers in the first half and 1-of-17, excluding Small.
Markus Burton and Julian Roper II led the way for Notre Dame, both scoring in double digits. The guards combined for nearly half of Notre Dame’s points with 32.
The Cowboys were without Bryce Thompson, one of their top scoring options, leaving Wright as the only returner in the starting lineup. Wright finished as the Cowboys’ second-leading scorer with 11.
OSU led for a solid portion of the first half until a 12-0 run by Notre Dame helped it carry an eight-point lead into halftime. OSU matched its performance against Abilene Christian with just 25 first-half points.
Small looked to get the Cowboys in a rhythm offensively with a couple of baskets, including his first 3-pointer, to begin the second half. However, the Cowboys could not build on that early momentum.
The Fighting Irish responded to Small’s makes with a 10-1 run to take their largest lead at 12. As part of that stretch, OSU went more than six minutes between made field goals.
OSU returns to Stillwater for its next game against New Orleans on Monday.
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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.