Oklahoma State basketball drops fifth straight game as late rally vs. Baylor falls short

STILLWATER — There is no denying this about the Oklahoma State men’s basketball team: It does not quit.

Even when things were mostly a disaster against high-powered Baylor, the Cowboys found a way to make things interesting.

After trailing by 17 with 4:01 left late Monday, the Cowboys were able to get within four points in the final minute.

A nine-point run. Back-to-back 3s in the final minute.

And suddenly those left inside Gallagher-Iba Arena had life.

Desperation is a powerful thing.

Just not enough for the Cowboys in their current funk.

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They fell 74-68 to the seventh-ranked Bears for a fifth straight loss that likely has the Cowboys on the outside of the NCAA Tournament.

“What I told our guys is if we’re capable of playing with that type of effort, that type of competitive fire and that type of fight,” Boynton said, “then we’re going to find a couple more wins here before this thing is over.”

Right now, the losses are stacking up.

The Cowboys (16-14, 7-10 Big 12) fell behind early and never could catch up. Baylor (22-8, 11-6) jumped to a 14-4 lead less than six minutes into the game behind star guards LJ Cryer and Adam Flagler.

Baylor built its lead to as much as 19.

“We just can’t really dig ourselves that hole,” OSU junior Bryce Thompson said.

Cryer and Flagler combined to score 28 points while making 6 of 17 from behind the arc.

John-Michael Wright led the Cowboys with 17 points. Caleb Asberry and Quion Williams added 12 points apiece.

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

What a loss means for the Cowboys' NCAA hopes

It’s impossible for the Cowboys to not look at the big picture.

Their skid has them in a tailspin that could cost them an NCAA Tournament berth. With one regular season game left at Texas Tech, it’s do or die.

“We know if we want to get that done we have to finish strong in conference play and just be ready for the tournament to come,” Wright said. “We’re not going to look past Texas Tech. they’re a good team as well.

“It’s in the back of everybody’s mind. There’s nothing you can do but win now. That’s what we’re going to plan on doing.”

The Cowboys entered the day projected as the last team in the field, according to ESPN Bracketology.

ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi said at halftime a loss would drop the Cowboys out, but by Friday they could be back in.

That doesn’t help the Cowboys feel any better about their chances, though.

They must win at Texas Tech — a house of horrors for opponents — to really get back in the conversation.

A loss going into the Big 12 Tournament would decimate chances.

Boynton said he’s talked to his players in a realistic fashion about what is ahead.

“You win that one, it’s another really good win against a really quality opponent and you give yourselves an opportunity,” Boynton said.

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Poor shooting too much to overcome for OSU vs. Baylor

On the game’s first possession, OSU missed a trio of 3-pointers alone.

Call it a bad omen.

The Cowboys’ poor start was caused by two things: not defending Cryer and Flagler well early and not making shots.

OSU made just 9 of 32 from 3-point range and shot 40% overall on the night. The Cowboys missed a plethora of open shots. They missed layups.

Boynton said he was mostly pleased with the shot selection, but they just did not fall.

“I’m sitting there feeling like it’s a pretty good shot for him,” Boynton said. “A lot of them, we’re talking shots at the rim. We shot a lot of 3s but a lot of them were either off offensive rebounds or drive-and-kicks, and some of them were after we missed two or three layups — I mean, point-blank ones — you just gotta make.”

Perhaps pressure mounted, especially on the layups. But it couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

OSU made 14 of 26 layups. It turned 22 offensive rebounds into just 10 points.

“We’re just missing shots,” Thompson said. “We got a bunch of wide-open 3s in the first half and usually those go down. But it was pretty rough from the 3-point land for us tonight. That happens. You just gotta keep going and keep working.”

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Tyreek Smith, Quion Williams bright spots for Cowboys

Let’s find something positive outside of the comeback.

Redshirt junior Tyreek Smith continued his stellar play before leaving the game late in the second half with an ankle injury. Freshman Quion Williams had the best overall game of his career.

Smith had just four points, but he had six rebounds — four offensive — and a plus-minus of plus-3, the highest on the team.

Williams, meanwhile, showed the most confidence as he scored a career-high 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished two assists. He still had some freshman moments, but he was largely consistent.

“He’s growing into his own,” Thompson said of Williams. “He’s figuring out how to play, how to fit in out there on the court. He’s gotta keep growing. He’ll learn with time and he’ll just keep developing into a good player.”

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Baylor Bears beat Oklahoma State Cowboys in Big 12 men's basketball