Five Thoughts on Oklahoma State’s 91-60 Victory Against Incarnate Word

Support PFB with a PFB+ membership — $8 a month or $50 for a year.

STILLWATER — The Cowboys started hot but didn’t close particularly well. Regardless, it was enough for a convincing season-opening win.

Oklahoma State beat Incarnate Word 91-60 on Monday night in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Here are five thoughts on the game.

1. A True Smackdown

I get beating Incarnate Word isn’t something to write home about, but it’s been a while since the Cowboys beat a team that convincingly.

This is the largest margin of victory the Cowboys have had in the Steve Lutz Era, and the 60 points the Cowboys allowed are tied for the second-fewest a Lutz team has given up.

OSU’s defense forced 21 turnovers and scored 27 points off those turnovers.

The Cowboys got out to a 12-0 lead before UIW called an early timeout, and then the lead got up to 17-2 not long after. A 14-0 run after that pushed the lead up to 33-9. At the half, it was 54-17.

2. But the Pokes Cooled Off in the Second Half

The beatdown certainly slowed down in the second half, as UIW actually outscored the Pokes 43-37 in the final 20 minutes.

OSU held UIW to 29% shooting in the first half, but the Cardinals shot 56% in the second, going 4-for-8 from 3.

So it’s not that there isn’t stuff to continue to work on, but if OSU can capture that first 20 minutes, the Cowboys might have something here.

“I thought that in the first half, our defensive performance gave (the crowd) something to look forward to and something that could produce a very, very good season for us,” Lutz said. “With that being said, it’s a 40-minute game, and we’ve gotta be better in the second half.”

3. Jacob Walker Is Making Baggy Shorts Cool Again

Jacob Walker didn’t have his best shooting night against the Cardinals, but he was facilitating a lot of the good that was happening.

A sophomore Sam Houston transfer, Walker finished with eight points, three rebounds, eight assists and four steals in his first official game as a Cowboy. It was tied for most assists and most steals a Cowboy has recorded in his debut.

His contributions are extra important because the Cowboys are still without Kanye Clary, who is day-to-day with a groin injury. But at this point, it looks as if the Cowboys have two starting-caliber point guards with how well Walker has played.

“Eight assists, one turnover, four steals — that’s gonna get him on the floor a lot,” Lutz said. “That’s gonna create more and more competition between he and Kanye and he and Parker (Robinson) and whatever, so that just makes our team stronger and I’m very excited about that.”

And he plays in baggy shorts. It felt like it wasn’t all that long ago that Jeffrey Carroll was rolling his shorts up as high as they could go, but Walker said he’s in the processes of bringing the baggy look back. They aren’t Byron Eaton baggy, but it’s a step in that direction.

4. Balanced 3-Point Shooting Attack

The Cowboys have had good 3-point shooters over the past handful of years, but it’s felt like most of the 3-point production has come from one guy of late — see Chi Chi Avery or Anthony Roy.

But the Cowboys shot 38% from 3 on Saturday with nine different Cowboys making a triple. That certainly helps Walker’s assist numbers when guys around him are hitting shots.

Sophomore Ryan Crotty and North Carolina transfer Luka Bogavac each hit a pair of 3s.

I’m not so naive to declare OSU a good 3-point shooting team based on one official game, but the fact that it came from a lot of different places is a good sign.

5. Freshmen’s First Game

The Cowboys’ Top 10 recruiting class played its first official college game.

Anthony Felesi started, while Parker Robinson was the first player off Lutz’s bench. McDonald’s All-American Latrell Allmond also subbed in during the first 10 minutes of action. And Jalen Montonati got in late and hit his first 3-pointer as a Cowboy.

Here are their lines:

Felesi — 4 points (2-for-6 FG), 1 rebound, 1 assists, +23
Robinson — 11 points (3-for-4 FG), 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals
Allmond — 9 points (3-for-4 FG), 4 rebounds, 2 blocks
Montonati — 4 points (1-for-2 FG), 1 rebound, 1 block

“They’re all good players,” Lutz said. “The world that we’re in today, all four of those guys have played high-level basketball games, whether it’s AAU or whether they go to these tournaments in high school, they’re used to competing at a high level, and I think that that compares them for Division-I and Big 12 basketball.

“We just gotta keep working, and they’ve gotta keep working and getting better, and they’ll do so. They’re all good kids and hard workers.”