Connect with us

Hoops

Hoops Notebook: Shorthanded Cowboys Top Tigers in Exhibition Play

OSU got off to a good albeit unofficial start to its 2018-19 season.

Published

on

The game was tied for all of five seconds.

The Cowboys outmatched Ouachita Baptist 80-59 in an exhibition game Sunday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Yor Anei tapped the opening tip to Cameron McGriff, who handed the ball to Thomas Dziagwa, who glided in for an and-1 with 19:55 left in the first half. The Cowboys led every second after that.

Here are some takeaways from the exhibition.

Freshmen Focus

Isaac Likekele was left off the first projected starting lineup of the season Monday, but one Mike Cunningham pulled hamstring later, and Likekele was the only point guard Mike Boynton had.

Likekele scored a game-high 18 points on 60 percent shooting against Ouachita Baptist. Likekele, a freshman from Arlington, Texas, also had three steals, two rebounds and an assist.

“It felt great,” Likekele said. “A lot of the fans came out. There was a lot of love. At first, I was really kind of nervous, but the more I went out there to play I started to feel really different. It was a great experience.”

Likekele was one of six freshmen Cowboys who played against the Tigers. Yor Anei was the only other freshman starter, but he played only eight minutes after an apparent right hip injury.

The Pokes six freshmen combined for 42 points. Maurice Calloo scored 12 points and was an efficient 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Kentrevious Jones finished with 6 points and three boards in 16 minutes.

Walk-on Luke Major even got in on the action. Major played 11 minutes and scored 4 points. He stole a ball at the top of the key with led to a layup, and he hit two technical free throws.

Monstrous McGriff

Cameron McGriff got off to a slow start Sunday. He mishandled an alley-oop attempt he normally would’ve thrown down, and he had a pair of early traveling violations. Once, he settled in, though, he clearly outclassed Ouachita Baptist.

Coffee got spilled on him on the sideline, and postgame, McGriff joked that woke him up.

McGriff finished with a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double in his 28 minutes. He also had four steals and three assists but had seven turnovers.

McGriff hustled all around the court, diving out of bounds to save multiple balls. His most explosive play came with about nine minutes remained when he intercepted a pass from the top of the key and threw down a right-handed tomahawk slam.

Missing Men

Mike Boynton finished Sunday’s game with seven scholarship players available to him.

The Cowboys have been without Michael Weathers since September after he was arrested for allegedly stealing a woman’s wallet and buying drink with her money at a bar. A report came out earlier this week that Weathers is expected to rejoin the team eventually. His next court hearing is Monday.

Boynton touched on Weathers postgame:

Graduate transfer Mike Cunningham was expected to play Sunday, but he pulled his hamstring Monday and was in street clothes on OSU’s bench. Yor Anei started the game at center for OSU, but was hobbled for many of his eight minutes. He eventually exited and didn’t return. He finished with four rebounds and two blocks.

In his postgame news conference, Boynton said Cunningham probably could’ve played, but it wasn’t worth the risk.

Curtis Jones won’t be available until the end of the fall semester after transferring from Indiana during last season.

“They are very young, and I think once they get their full arsenal back on the team I think they will be pretty good,” Ouachita Baptist coach Dennis Nutt said. “They will be really good in this league, but I know (Boynton) is probably needing a few more guards out there, I know he is really shorthanded right now with those guys being out. They are big, they’re physical. We were just kind of happy to take what we could get tonight.”

Most Read

Copyright © 2011- 2023 White Maple Media