Oklahoma State Struggles to Defend Xavier Johnson in Loss to Southern Illinois
Oklahoma State failed to exact revenge on Southern Illinois after losing last season’s matchup in Stillwater.
OSU fell 70-68 against SIU in a battle of talented guards. For SIU, it was Xavier Johnson who did the most damage.
Johnson scored 32 and posed problems for the Cowboys throughout the game. Javon Small was the Cowboys’ counter, going for 25 points and four assists.
Clarence Rupert’s offensive rebound and and-one gave the Salukis a three-point lead with 27.5 seconds left. On the other end, Bryce Thompson was blocked by Troy D’Amico on a 3-point shot, followed by a technical foul against D’Amico for celebrating.
Small knocked down both free throws to make it a one-point game with only 10.9 seconds left. However, Small’s layup and Quion Williams’ putback attempt were both no good at the buzzer.
OSU’s inside attack played a significant role in keeping the game tight. With 36 points in the paint, OSU outscored SIU down low by 12.
The Cowboys also attacked the glass and dominated the rebounding battle. Their performance on the boards included 20 offensive rebounds to give the Cowboys 15 second-chance points.
Jarius Hicklen scored nine straight points for OSU as he tried to lead his team back into the game later in the second half. All of those points came from beyond the arc as he finished 4-of-8 from there.
The Salukis built the lead in the second half with outside shooting and forcing turnovers. Johnson’s jumper at 11:34 gave them the first double-digit lead of the night.
Early in the second half, the Cowboys looked to take control after a steal and transition bucket gave them a four-point lead. Quickly, the Salukis took the lead after a couple of 3-pointers helped them spark a 10-0 run.
Entering the game shooting better than 40% from 3-point range, the Salukis lived up to expectations against the Cowboys. Led by Trent Brown with four makes from beyond the arc, the Salukis shot 7-of-15 on 3-pointers.
Meanwhile, OSU made minimal strides in that area, shooting just 30.4% from deep.
No team held a lead larger than seven in the first half, as the teams traded the lead seven times before entering halftime tied at 34. Small led the Cowboys in the half, scoring 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
Johnson was the catalyst for SIU in the first half, scoring 19 points. Much of his damage early came from the free-throw line, where he shot 12-of-13 before halftime.
OSU’s next game will be a neutral-site matchup against Tulsa in Oklahoma City on Sunday.
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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.