Oklahoma State men's basketball vs. UConn: Cowboys unable to rally in loss to Huskies
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Oklahoma State was in its worst-case scenario on the road, yet somehow thriving.
Moussa Cisse was on the bench just a few minutes into the game with two fouls. Other Cowboys had fouls building.
No. 8-ranked UConn could have blown things open rather quickly.
Yet, with a three-point advantage nearly 13 minutes into the game against perhaps the hottest team in the country, the Cowboys were starting to feel good.
Then the bottom actually fell out.
The Huskies (9-0) went on a 23-3 run to end the opening half and led by as much as 20 in the second half. OSU (5-3) made a run but only got within single digits in the final minute.
“The guys fought in the second half,” OSU coach Mike Boynton said on the radio. “Our guys gave ourselves a chance to be within striking distance. We never really put the pressure on them, but there’s something to build on there.”
UConn’s Jordan Hawkins scored a career-high 26 points and made five 3-pointers. Superstar Adama Sanogo added 20 points and six rebounds.
Kalib Boone led OSU with 15 points and eight rebounds. Avery Anderson III scored 14 and Caleb Asberry added 11 off the bench.
OSU also committed 17 turnovers, which led to 27 points.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
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Foul trouble early dooms Cowboys
OSU committed 25 total fouls, 14 of which came in the first half.
It was a recipe for disaster.
Cisse — trying to match the physicality of the 6-foot-9, 245-pound Sanogo — picked up his second foul with 17:42 remaining in the opening half.
Bryce Thompson was in foul trouble. So was Anderson. Boone and Tyreek Smith each played with two fouls.
The Huskies made 15 of 19 from the free throw line in the first half.
The inability to not foul was a big factor when UConn got hot in the final part of the half.
“It was a contributing factor because when they went on that run, yes, fouls was one of them,” Boone said, “but also we didn’t execute plays during the stretch right and then we turned the ball over at times.”
As UConn started to pull away and OSU’s offense went cold, the Cowboys had little options on the bench to answer. Boynton could not substitute and risk more foul issues for key players.
But the real concern is OSU’s slow adjustments.
The Cowboys did not find a way to avoid fouling. They fouled multiple 3-point shooters, too.
It was part of the opening push from the physical Huskies, and OSU did not handle it well.
“I think that’s one of our biggest Achilles heels as a team,” Boone said. “We’re good when somebody throws that first punch but when they throw them repeatedly we kinda get put away as a team.
“That’s normal because at the beginning of the season you don’t see that many adversity moments.”
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But the second half was better
Looking for a positive?
The Cowboys showed fight in the second half, making UConn uncomfortable.
OSU allowed just 26 points, the lowest total for the Huskies in a half this season. An early 20-point deficit was trimmed to 11 just 7 minutes into the half.
The Cowboys got aggressive offensively, forcing their way to the free throw line.
OSU made 12 of 15 foul shots in the final 20 minutes after attempting and making just four in the first half.
“It gave us a chance to score some points without the clock moving,” Boynton said. “We just didn’t do it enough. We gotta be able to do that for the course of the game, especially when we saw they were calling a lot of fouls in the first half. We didn’t respond to that early enough and put ourselves in position to keep it closer for longer.”
OSU also benefited from Cisse returning to the floor.
His presence opened things up on both ends, allowing the offense to flow better with his ability to screen and rebound. He protected the rim well on defense.
UConn made just 7 of 26 shots in the second half and had two scoring droughts of around 3 minutes. For the game, UConn shot just 38%, a season low.
OSU also remained in the game with its rebounding.
Cisse had all 10 of his rebounds — he did not score — in the second half. OSU out-rebounded UConn 26-15 in the second half and won the overall battle 39-35.
That’s really impressive against a talented team that can equal or better OSU’s inside size.
“It shows that we’re capable of doing it,” Boynton said about the rebounding.
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Boone stays aggressive
A position change is working out quite well for Boone.
The 6-foot-9 senior thrived again in the power forward spot and continued to show why OSU’s offense needs to primarily run through him.
He made shots near the basket, including a smooth hook shot over 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan. Boone also made 5 of 7 foul shots.
He was aggressive early and often.
“That’s one of the benefits I love about playing the four spot,” Boone said. “I don’t have to guard or deal with somebody like 240 or 245 guarding me. It’s easier for me to get to my spots more.”
Boone scored the game’s opening basket.
That’s when he knew he would be in for a strong night.
“In my mind, and no disrespect towards that player or team, but I was like, ‘I can get to my spot, I can get whatever I want basically,’” Boone said. “It was basically just being in attack mode.”
Boone is now averaging 10.3 points per game this season, scoring in double figures four times. A year ago, he averaged 5.8 points and scored in double figures just six times.
The move is working.
Jacob Unruh covers college sports for The Oklahoman. You can send your story ideas to him at junruh@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @jacobunruh. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State vs. UConn men's basketball: Score, updates, highlights
