OSU Hoops: Cowboys Fall to SMU 86-71 in Exhibition

BOX SCORE

The Cowboys split their exhibition games, dropping a Saturday scrimmage against SMU in Dallas.

SMU beat Oklahoma State 86-71. The game was decided in about a 10-minute stretch toward the end of the first half, where the Mustangs outscored the Pokes 24-4.

The Cowboys were without Anthony Roy, Daniel Guetta and Benjamin Ahmed. Roy scored 28 points in that Auburn exhibition.

Putting the ball in the basket was an issue for the Pokes, as they shot just 32% from the field and 18% (3-for-17) from 3. The poor shooting was highlighted by the fact that OSU went into halftime with just two team assists. Things were better in the second half, where OSU assisted on 11 of its 12 baskets.

Four Pokes scored in double figures, led by LSU transfer Vyctorius Miller’s 16. Miller missed the Auburn exhibition nursing a minor injury. He went 4-for-8 from the field against the Mustangs, hitting two of the Cowboys’ three 3s.

Kanye Clary and Parsa Fallah each chipped in a dozen points. Fallah went 4-for-8 from the field and added six rebounds to his stat line. Clary, who also missed the Auburn exhibition, got to the line 10 times, making seven. He also had four rebounds and four assists.

Returner Robert Jennings II had 10 points and four boards. He was also a team-best +9 in plus-minus, meaning OSU was nine points better than SMU in Jennings’ 15 minutes on the floor. The only other Cowboy who was positive in the stat was Andrija Vukovic at +1.

Despite losing by 15 points, the Cowboys somehow won the battle on the glass, outrebounding SMU 45-44. That came after OSU outrebounded Auburn 52-43. Perhaps that will be an area of strength for OSU this season.

Although they were winning on the glass, the Cowboys got beat up on paint scoring. SMU scored 40 of its points in the paint while OSU had 26 points there.

OSU gets going for real on Nov. 4, where the Cowboys will host Oral Roberts to start the regular season. That game, on a Tuesday, will be at 7 p.m. and on ESPN+.