Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Kansas State basketball: Three takeaways from Sooners' road loss
Markquis Nowell didn’t have a target in mind.
Eleventh-ranked Kansas State held a double-digit lead over OU early in the second half of Wednesday’s game in Manhattan, Kansas, when Nowell poked the ball away from Otega Oweh.
The loose ball began to sail out of bounds, but Nowell snatched it and blindly threw it over his shoulder before crashing into the scorers’ table.
Kansas State’s Keyontae Johnson then came down with the jump ball and found Desi Sills, who sank a reverse layup.
Whether it was halfcourt plays, fastbreak plays or broken plays, OU had no answer for Kansas State's offense in an 85-69 loss. The Sooners (14-16, 4-13 Big 12) will close out their regular season with a home game against 22nd-ranked TCU at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
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Bijan Cortes makes his return to OU
After missing OU’s last two games due to personal reasons, Bijan Cortes checked in for the first time Wednesday with 13:47 left in the first half.
And it didn’t take him long to find a rhythm.
Less than one minute after checking in, Cortes got a steal and found Grant Sherfield, who finished a fastbreak layup.
Cortes also found his shooting touch later in the first half. Kansas State went on a 7-0 run to claim a 25-20 lead at the 4:19 mark, but Cortes silenced the lively crowd by drilling a 3-pointer.
Cortes finished with three points and two assists in 13 minutes. It’s a good first step for the Kingfisher native, whose return comes just in time for the start of the Big 12 Tournament on March 8.
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OU’s turnovers fuel Kansas State
OU trailed Kansas State 32-25 in the closing minute of the first half when Nowell stole the ball from Cortes.
Nowell then raced down the court and got to the rim, but Sam Godwin blocked his path to a layup.
That wasn’t a problem. Nowell dished a behind-the-back pass to the trailing David N’guessan, who threw down an emphatic two-handed slam.
N’guessan’s dunk sent the sellout crowd Fred Bramlage Coliseum into a frenzy, and its cheers never died down in the second half. OU committed 13 turnovers on Wednesday, which Kansas State converted into 20 points.
The Sooners have committed more turnovers in a game this season. Their record is 24, which came against Kansas on Feb. 11.
Still, OU’s turnovers on Wednesday were magnified. The miscues fueled Kansas State and its lively home crowd, which had plenty of reasons to celebrate.
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Milos Uzan, Otega Oweh shine in OU's loss
After watching Kansas State's players throw down one dunk after another, Oweh finally returned the favor.
OU trailed 53-35 with 13:38 left in the game when the freshman guard intercepted a pass and raced down the court. N'Guessan tried to meet Oweh at the rim, but Oweh still threw down a viscous one-handed slam.
Uzan made a statement of his own in the closing minutes of the game.
The fellow freshman went on a personal 5-1 run, which he capped off with a nifty layup at the 2:04 mark. Uzan blew past his defender and used his hangtime to sink a reverse layup before crashing to the floor.
In a game where Kansas State's athletic edge was glaring, Uzan and Oweh did all they could to close the gap. They finished with career-highs of 20 points and 18 points, respectively.
It's no secret that OU doesn't have as much athleticism as teams such as Kansas State. Still, Uzan and Oweh showed they can hang.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Desi Sills, Kansas State Wildcats beat Oklahoma Sooners basketball
