'A sign of growth': OSU's Avery Anderson III shines, but not satisfied in loss to Iowa State

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STILLWATER — Oklahoma State guard Avery Anderson III was not that interested in his offensive numbers.

What mattered was the end result and his impact on that.

The Cowboys fell short of an overtime upset of No. 23-ranked Iowa State, losing 84-81 Wednesday night inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Anderson had a career night offensively, appearing to break loose from a weeks-long slump. A career-high 34 points while making 5 of 11 3-pointers and 11 of 13 free shots is sensational.

It wasn’t satisfying, though.

“I ain’t even worried about the points right now,” Anderson said. “I gotta lock in on my defensive side of the ball, because if I would have locked in on the defensive side of the ball we would have won the game.”

On a night the Cowboys seemed to unlock their star player, there was just a small amount of joy.

Anderson felt like he could have done even more, and the belief around OSU is that’s a positive development.

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Oklahoma State guard Avery Anderson III, center, drives to the basket between Iowa State guard Izaiah Brockington (1) and forward George Conditt IV (4) in overtime Wednesday in Stillwater.
Oklahoma State guard Avery Anderson III, center, drives to the basket between Iowa State guard Izaiah Brockington (1) and forward George Conditt IV (4) in overtime Wednesday in Stillwater.

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“That’s a sign of growth,” OSU coach Mike Boynton said. “As a junior, understanding the accountability when you’re a leader and when you’re out there and the team doesn’t get the job done, you stand up and you understand that there’s certainly things that we could have done better, no matter how good the numbers might look.

“So, it’s a sign of growth. As a freshman, I’m not sure if he scored 30 points and we lost that he would feel that way.”

Anderson still had a chance to put OSU (10-9, 3-5 Big 12) ahead late, but his layup with 13.1 seconds remaining in the extra period rolled off the rim. Seven-foot center Moussa Cisse dunked it back, but it was ruled goaltending by officials, who reviewed and confirmed their call.

Afterward, Anderson said he watched a replay and believed the basketball was off the rim.

But he quickly turned to his defense being the primary issue, particularly in the final 4 minutes of the game.

“It starts with me getting stops and just letting my team down and having defensive breakdowns,” Anderson said. “So, that was on me. I’m taking full responsibility.

“I played good defensively, but not in the crunch. That’s something I gotta do.”

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Oklahoma State's Moussa Cisse (33) blocks a shot by Iowa State's Tyrese Hunter (11) during Wednesday night's Big 12 basketball game at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.
Oklahoma State's Moussa Cisse (33) blocks a shot by Iowa State's Tyrese Hunter (11) during Wednesday night's Big 12 basketball game at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.

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With 2:56 remaining and the game tied, Iowa State’s Tyrese Hunter drove to the basket against Anderson and made a layup as he was fouled. Hunter then made the free shot for a 75-72 lead.

After Bryce Thompson made two free shots, Anderson again had another breakdown, this time letting Hunter by for a dunk.

And with 1:06 remaining, Iowa State’s Izaiah Brockington — who scored 26 points — hit a jumper over Anderson. The Cyclones led 82-79.

“Can’t be satisfied,” Boynton said. “It certainly doesn’t sound like he was in here.”

Boynton also pointed to the Cowboys’ defense as a whole.

They had just held their past three opponents to an average of 58 points. The Cyclones instead shot 53.3% overall and made a dozen 3-pointers in a game that featured 28 lead changes.

OSU just couldn’t get key stops when it needed.

“It’s kind of been an ongoing thing for us,” OSU senior Isaac Likekele said. “Late game, no matter whether we held a team to 50 or like tonight they had 70 up there, our crunch-time defense hasn’t been too good.

“Late down in the crunch, we’ve gotta be able to get those stops.”

Even with the defensive letdown late, Anderson had two steals to go with his dynamic scoring night.

The hope is this leads to Anderson regaining his form from last season. He’s certainly had his struggles this season trying to recapture the magic.

Entering Wednesday, he had scored in double figures once in his past eight games after dropping 26 and 29 points in back-to-back games against Xavier and Cleveland State in early December.

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Iowa State's Izaiah Brockington (1) shoots over Oklahoma State's Tyreek Smith in the first half of Wednesday's Big 12 game at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.
Iowa State's Izaiah Brockington (1) shoots over Oklahoma State's Tyreek Smith in the first half of Wednesday's Big 12 game at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.

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But Anderson never relented on his work habits.

His teammates and coaches also encouraged him to shoot more 3s. He did not attempt a trey in two of the past four games.

“You can’t be a guard this day and age and the way the game is played and go multiple games without shooting 3-pointers,” Boynton said. “You just can’t.”

Anderson attempted 11 3-pointers — a career high — and that was what got him going.

He scored seven first-half points, but it was with 10:56 remaining in the second half that he caught fire. Keylan Boone missed a trey. So did Rondel Walker. On the third try of the same possession, Anderson’s fell from the top of the key.

And he was off and rolling from there.

That spread the floor for the OSU offense. It opened up more lanes for Anderson to the basket as well.

OSU’s offense thrived shooting 47.3%.

Now, the offensive slumber that’s plagued Anderson this season could be over. At least, that’s the hope in Stillwater.

“Struggles help us all grow,” Boynton said. “It’s a hard reality to accept, but I know because I’ve lived long enough to struggle myself. And a lot of these guys don’t struggle before they get here, so this becomes the first opportunity for them to learn through adversity.

“That’s what Avery’s done this year.”

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 Iowa State: Cowboys lose in OT despite Avery Anderson's heroics