Instant Recap: Cowboys Sweep Bedlam 71-61, Mike Boynton Earns Career Win No. 100

Four days prior, Sooner fans stormed the court at Lloyd Noble Center following Oklahoma’s upset blowout of then-No. 2 Alabama. On Wednesday night, you could hear every shoe squeak.

Oklahoma State defeated Oklahoma 71-61, but it was nowhere near that close while it counted. OSU played nearly flawless offensive basketball in the first half and then squashed every attempted Sooner run in the second. The Cowboys led wire-to-wire.

OSU got off to a quick start, especially the game’s leading scorers, Kalib Boone and Moussa Cisse. Boone started 3-for-3, scoring eight of the Pokes’ first 10 points as they raced off to a 10-2 lead in just three and a half minutes. Boone was 5-for-5 in the first half, and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe, leading all scorers with 12 at the break. Cisse was hot off the bench, making his first two shots, both jumpers at the top of the key.

The Cowboys led by as many as 10 in the early goings and held the Sooners at arm’s length the rest of the way, pushing their lead to 14 in the waning seconds of the first half.

With Cisse looking as good as he has since his injury, OSU has quite the tandem of front-court players. Boone made his first three shots after halftime, starting 8-for-8. He’s 22-for-25 from the field in his last three games. Boone and Cisse each scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Cisse had five boards to Boone’s four, and they each had a block.

While OSU’s bigs were nearly perfect, its guards torched the Sooners on the perimeter and in the paint. Avery Anderson and Bryce Thompson each scored 12 points and combined for eight assists. OSU doubled up OU in points in the paint (44-22) and assists (14-7). Woody Newton led all players with 10 rebounds, equalling the Cowboys’ 42-32 advantage on the boards.

The TV crew reported about 11,500 fans in attendance, but you wouldn’t have known it from their broadcast. Credit the Cowboys for keeping the home crowd quiet.

OSU built its lead to 16 early in the second, thanks to a pair of made technical free throws by Avery Anderson. Sooner head coach Porter Moser picked up the T barking about a non-call under his basket. The brief ensuing ref-themed chants from the full-house crowd in Norman were pretty much the only sign of life Sooner fans showed all night. OSU pushed its lead to as much as 22 before OU went on a 7-0 run to pull it within 15 before Bryce Thompson made a corner 3. The Sooners crept to within 13 with 4:51 left before a pair of Cowboy dunks gave them space and the Cowboys coasted to a win.

The result gives Mike Boynton career win No. 100. He’s the fifth OSU coach to reach triple-digits victories. It also moves Boynton to 8-5 against OU. He’s now swept Bedlam twice in the regular season. This is also the Cowboys’ first Big 12 road win of the season.

Most importantly, the win is a nice differentiator for two teams on the bubble in a tough league. Also from the ESPN crew — this is the first time OSU has won in Norman by double figures since the eventual Final Four Cowboys beat the Sooners by 13 in 2004.

With the win, Oklahoma State moves to 13-9 on the season and 4-5 in Big 12 play. Next up, they’re back home for a weekend matchup with No. 15 TCU. The Cowboys host the Horned Frogs at 1 p.m. Saturday.