Oklahoma State vs. UCF basketball: Three takeaways from Cowboys' overtime loss to Knights

Through four games, Oklahoma State’s basketball team is lacking one key element to win games.

The ability to close.

Whether that’s a lack of ability or just the mentality to put teams away is not up for debate.

“This team doesn’t have a killer instinct at this point yet,” OSU coach Mike Boynton said about a deflating 60-56 overtime loss to UCF in Friday’s opening game of the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship.

The Cowboys led by 17 in the first half. They led by 11 with 13:11 left in regulation.

And much like the loss to Southern Illinois eight days ago, that wasn’t enough to seal a victory.

“Obviously, that’s pretty clear when you have double-digits leads and a lot of momentum and double-digits leads,” Boynton said. “It’s not like it’s happening by accident. We’re playing well. We’re guarding, we’re rebounding, we’re moving the ball, we’re getting the shots we want.

“I don’t know if it’s a lack of toughness — I think we got tough guys — or a lack of discipline. I think that’s something obviously I need to address as a coach.”

OSU did not make a field goal in the final 4:45 of the extra period. It also just shot 29.3% overall in the game.

That’s not going to go well for any team.

The Cowboys (2-2) await the loser of DePaul and Santa Clara at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

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Offense falls apart

Just five days after an electric offensive performance on the road at Oakland, the Cowboys’ offense regressed, and not just by a little. It cratered, particularly from behind the arc.

The Cowboys made just 2 of 20 from deep, failing to make a 3-pointer in the second half or overtime.

“You can’t go 2 for 20 from 3 and win a high-level game,” Boynton said.

And though the night started promising with an 18-2 run — fueled primarily by dynamic defense — that was not enough to hold onto a 17-point lead.

UCF switched to a zone defense late in the opening half, slowing down OSU.

OSU’s guard trio of John-Michael Wright, Avery Anderson III and Bryce Thompson combined to shoot 3 of 25 overall. Anderson had 12 points, but 10 of those came at the free throw line.

Thompson missed a late layup in overtime and Wright missed a jumper in the final seconds. Both would have tied the game.

Boynton also pointed to the lack of conversions on fast breaks.

OSU forced 21 turnovers and had just four fast-break points.

“I can’t tonight get away from the fact that we had several clear fastbreaks that turned up zero points,” Boynton said.

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Cowboys' defensive effort wasted

The Cowboys held UCF to just 30.5% shooting, forced the 21 turnovers and had eight blocks.

While going up by as much as 17 in the opening half, OSU held UCF to just 25.9% shooting, forced 12 turnovers and no foul shots.

Those are winning numbers most nights for a defense.

But when the offense struggles so much of the night, even a dynamic defense can only do so much.

“I thought our defense was really, really good until late,” Boynton said. “Sometimes that happens when you stop making shots over the course of time. Your defense starts to break down a little bit more. It’s something that has not happened a ton, but happens every now and then to a really good defensive team.”

OSU went nearly 4 minutes without a point in the second half, letting a 13-point lead dwindle to just two. UCF started making 3-pointers and getting to the free-throw line, making 10 of 11 in the second half.

The Knights even found a way to win in overtime despite not making a field goal in the final 3:51, making 5 of 6 foul shots.

“They scored 60 points in overtime,” Boynton said. “They didn’t put on a clinic by any means offensively. We were just much worse offensively than that.”

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Cisse again 'most dominant' player

OSU center Moussa Cisse recorded his third straight double-double, again showing his overall progression since he arrived more than a year ago from Memphis.

He had 14 points and 14 rebounds. He tied a career high with six blocks.

Cisse now has 39 rebounds in the past three games.

“He’s been sensational,” Boynton said. “I hate it in a loss, but I thought he was the most dominant player on the court.”

And that comes against the biggest team OSU has faced this season.

There were still times that Cisse’s offensive game showed areas that needed to improve. He sped up at times.

Like the final play of regulation.

Anderson was leading the fastbreak and with a two-on-one scenario he opted to loft a lob pass to Cisse with time ticking away.

Cisse — appearing to rush with plenty of time — never caught the ball cleanly. Time expired as he lost the ball out of bounds.

Boynton said the next step in Cisse’s evolution is to slow the game down offensively, especially in moments like that.

“I think sometimes the clock seems like it’s moving faster than it is,” Boynton said. “In a kid’s mind — if you’ve ever been in that situation — it feels like it’s gonna go 5-3-0 instead of 5-4-3-2-1.

“That’s not unusual but it’s unfortunate because he played so well that would have been a nice capper for it.”

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 Cowboys lose to UCF Knights men's basketball in OT