How Oklahoma State's improved 3-point shooting led to rout of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
STILLWATER — In the final seconds of the first half, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi guard Ross Williams went to the basket and thought his layup had a chance.
But Oklahoma State 7-foot-1 center Moussa Cisse had different thoughts. He swatted the attempt toward midcourt.
Williams “basically almost disappeared,” OSU coach Mike Boynton said.
Six seconds later, Bryce Thompson buried a deep 3-pointer from the left elbow, his fourth of the half.
The rout was on, this time in a fitting way for the way the Cowboys have trended the past month.
OSU (8-4) now awaits a road trip to defending national champion Kansas on Dec. 31.
The Cowboys closed an up-and-down non-conference schedule with two dominant wins.
“I don’t know if anybody who’s watched us play with any kind of consistency cannot see the improvement,” Boynton said. “The defense has always been rock solid but offensively — particularly as it relates to assists — is a significant growth.”
The Cowboys had 22 assists on 29 made shots.
Thompson led the way with 13 points. Cisse and Tyreek Smith scored 12 points apiece, with Cisse grabbing 14 rebounds. Avery Anderson III — wearing glasses due to receiving stitches after a blow to his head late against Wichita State on Saturday— scored 10 points and had nine assists, a career high.
But it was the all-around 3-point shooting that really propelled OSU. It shot 13 of 31 from deep, with five different players making treys.
Here are three takeaways from the win.
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The Cowboys are good 3-point shooters?
A month ago, this was a crazy notion.
The Cowboys looked lost from deep, even as Boynton insisted he believed his players could shoot from long range.
Finally, the Cowboys are begging to meet their coach’s expectations.
In six of the past seven games, OSU has shot 33% or better from behind the arc. The Cowboys have made nine or more 3s four times in that span.
“It’s always been there,” Boynton said. “It’s just a matter of figuring out how it works together. That’s what you play your non-conference schedule for.”
On Tuesday, they made 10 in the first half while building a 27-point lead. They finished with 13 made treys, the most since making 17 on Feb. 27, 2019, at Texas Tech.
Chris Harris Jr., who made 3 of 6 from 3-point range, said the Cowboys have focused on just taking the better shots. Early in the season, they often forced a shot.
“We’re locked in on trying to take that shot instead of trying to shoot over two people,” Harris said.
Thompson’s emergence from deep has been the biggest revelation for the Cowboys. He made 4 of 8, with each make coming in the opening half. In the past seven games, he’s made four or more 3s four times.
It’s not always going to be this successful from deep for the Cowboys. There will be some inconsistencies.
But it’s about time to start believing in their ability to make 3s.
OSU always did.
“You have to help because they ain’t got no choice,” Cisse said about opponents defending OSU. “Or we’re going to tear the rim down. The guys are open.”
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Moving in the right direction
OSU certainly had frustrations during its non-conference slate — particularly blowing big second-half leads in losses to Southern Illinois and UCF.
But since the loss to UCF, the Cowboys have shown growth, even with losses to UConn and Virginia Tech.
The shooting is coming around. The defense, which was strong all along, has improved.
“We’ve been playing like how we’ve been practicing,” Cisse said. “When we come back (from Christmas break), we don’t have to start from the bottom. We’re going to start from where we’re leaving.”
Harris and Cisse both said practices have intensified the past few weeks. The Cowboys have an increased urgency knowing the margin for error to reach the NCAA Tournament is very slim.
Boynton said the intensity will increase in practices for conference play.
He put the non-conference schedule together with the plan to make sure his team is better by the time Big 12 play begins.
Boynton feels like the Cowboys have improved.
“I think we’re starting to figure out who we are," Boynton said. “It’s always been there. It’s just a matter of putting it all together. And a lot of it has to do with the way the ball’s moving.”
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You’re a mean one…
Before every game, Harris makes sure to look at Boynton’s shoes.
For whatever reason, the senior failed to find his coach in pregame. Then Harris saw the shoes on the videoboard.
Harris wondered who the fan was. Then he realized the shoes belonged to Boynton.
And they were gloriously festive.
“I was like, ‘Oh my god,’” Harris said.
Boynton turned to his extensive shoe collection, opting to go with a pair of Nikes that looked the part of the Grinch, complete with green cloth that looks like fur.
“There never really was a second thought,” Boynton said. “It fits, right? I probably won’t wear them again but it fit today.”
The shoes were the Nike Cactus Plant Flea Market style, a shoe that can be pricey on the resale market.
As for choosing the Grinch style, Boynton said the movie is a favorite of his two kids.
“I’m all about the kids,” Boynton said.
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.
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It's because he's green, isn't it? 😏#LetsWork | @thacoachmike pic.twitter.com/Ylh7np6dUq
— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) December 20, 2022
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State Cowboys beat Texas A&M Corpus-Christi men's basketball
