Instant Recap: Oklahoma State Falls to Utah 83-62

The Utes were hungry for their first Big 12 win. Consider them satisfied.

Oklahoma State fell to Utah 83-62 on the road in a game in which they never really had a foothold.

Things couldn’t have started much worse for the Cowboys, or much better for the Utes.

After shooting 47.5% from the field and 42.9% from 3 in their win over Kansas State, the Pokes started just 1-for-8 in the SLC and missed their first six shots from beyond the arc. They finished shooting 33% from the field and 26% from deep. Meanwhile, the Utes, who had been suffering through a shooting slump during their 0-3 Big 12 start, hit the hardwood on fire.

Utah started 7-for-10 and finished shooting 56%. And so much for the 3-point barrage that we expected from Utah. The Utes finished a respectable 6-of-15 from 3 but they didn’t attempt their second deep ball until seven minutes in. They did their early damage in the paint and from the line.

Utah nearly doubled up OSU, outscoring the Pokes in the paint 46-24. They outperformed at the stripe, as well. The Utes came in ranked 352nd (!) in free-throw shooting percentage at just 63.3%. They went 6-for-6 from the stripe in just the first three or so minutes. Utah made 71% of its foul shots on the night, but the damage was done early.

The Cowboys found themselves down 12-0 before five minutes had expired and only enjoyed brief moments within single digits the rest of the first half. OSU pulled to within 11 before the break, but the Utes continued where they had left off in the second. Second half recap? Rinse. Repeat.

Three Cowboys scored in double digits with Bryce Thompson leading the way with 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Chi Chi Avery added 13 points, but on 13 shots. Brandon Newman added 10 points.

This game did not play out as expected, in several ways. With all the talk about the Madsen Bros, the Utes thumped Oklahoma State without any real scoring input from their two top scorers. Mason and Gabe Madsen combined to score two points and go 0-for-4 from the field in the first half. Mason Madsen, the Big 12’s second-leading scorer, dropped a goose egg, going 0-for-1 in six minutes. Gabe scored nine on 3-of-8 shooting.

Utah’s Ezra Ausar led all scorers with 21 on just 12 shots. Jake Wahlin has 16, going 5-for-5 from the field (3-for-3 from 3). And Keanu Dawes lived up to his name, chipping in 16 and nine boards. Approaching the midway point of the second half, he had three-straight crowd-igniting dunks the last of which pushed Utah’s lead to 18. The lead ballooned to as much as 26, and the Cowboys continued to fight but weren’t ever able to get back within arm’s reach.

Next up, the Cowboys will finish their two-game trip to Utah with a stop in Provo when they face BYU at 8 p.m. Tuesday.