Oklahoma State vs. Prairie View A&M men's basketball: Three takeaways from Cowboys' rout
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STILLWATER — Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton had a simple request for his team at halftime.
After a sluggish first half against overmatched Prairie View A&M, could the Cowboys play better?
He even asked “nicely.”
“It’s Sunday, so I’m going to have to go back to church again,” Boynton said after a laugh.
Fire. Brimstone. Curse words.
Whatever the message truly was, it worked.
The Cowboys (5-2) have won three straight games ahead of Thursday’s key matchup at No. 20-ranked UConn.
But first, Boynton needs to call his grandmother.
“She watches every game, and she lets me know when I say bad words,” Boynton said. “And I’m gonna have to tell her because I know she didn’t see it on the court. But it was Sunday and I probably should not say some of the things that I said at halftime.
“But our team needed it. My job is to make sure that we give ourselves the best chance to win. So whatever message is necessary, that’s the one I’ll try to deliver.”
Ironically, the Cowboys are 3-0 on Sundays, having shot 53% overall in those games. They shot 54.8% against Prairie View A&M (4-3).
Avery Anderson III and Bryce Thompson combined for 29 points. Moussa Cisse had his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
And freshman Quion Williams had his most impactful game of his short career.
Here are three takeaways from the win.
OSU vs. Tulsa men's basketball:Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa men's basketball: Three takeaways from Cowboys' dominant victory
Williams growing right up
For the first three games this season, Williams felt the nerves.
It wasn’t high school basketball in Arkansas or Texas anymore. It wasn’t AAU. Things moved much faster.
But throughout the past week, things have slowed down.
“It’s Big 12 basketball, so once the nerves came down, I just started playing basketball,” Williams said.
Williams was the spark in a sluggish first half, soaring for a rebound and putback with 6:31 left in the half. And less than a minute later putting OSU ahead with a steal that led to two foul shots.
Then Williams started the second half, replacing Kalib Boone in the rotation.
“He deserved to be out there,” Boynton said. “He was making the type of plays that gave us a chance to have success. At the end of the day, that’s all it’s about.”
Boynton said Williams has started to play more like the player he recruited. He trusts his instincts more. He’s also not afraid to speak up on a veteran team.
And his energy is contagious.
“He a freshman, but he’s not a freshman,” Anderson said.
Williams, a four-star recruit, finished with 11 points, two assists and two rebounds. He played a career-high 26 minutes.
In the past week, he’s seen an uptick in his minutes, with 12 against DePaul and 18 against Tulsa.
He’s growing up.
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OSU still looking for complete game
More than a week after Boynton said the Cowboys had yet to find their killer instinct, they’ve taken steps to solve the issue.
They dominated Tulsa in the second half Friday night. They again dominated in the closing half Sunday.
But that raises another concern. Can the Cowboys put two strong halves together consistently?
“The only thing I feel like we’re having trouble with is playing only 20 minutes,” Anderson said. “Offense is good. I’ll just say we gotta play a whole 40 minutes.”
Boynton said the Cowboys lacked energy in the opening half, committing eight turnovers. That led to just a one-point advantage.
The Cowboys opened the second half on a 12-0 run, building a 13-point lead. It ballooned to 20 within the first nine minutes of the half.
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Dynamic duo gets going
One way the Cowboys dominated was the play of their dynamic duo.
Anderson scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half, taking control of the floor. Thompson led the way offensively in the first half, scoring 8 of his 13 with his smooth mid-range jumper.
The duo combined to shoot 10 of 20 on the night. Each hit a 3-pointer.
Anderson also continued his hot start at the free throw line to begin the season. He made 7 of 8 at the line, making him 32 of 37 on the season.
Last season, Anderson shot just 77% from the line.
“I feel like last year was a fluke,” Anderson said.
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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: OSU vs. Prairie View A&M men's basketball: Score, updates, highlights
