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Instant Recap: Oklahoma State Defeats UCF 104-95

Bryce Thompson led the Cowboys to the win with a career-high performance.

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1 year ago

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[Devin Wilber/PFB]

BOXSCORE

On a night when Oklahoma was flirting with record-low temperatures, the Cowboys caught fire in GIA.

Oklahoma State defeated UCF 104-95. It was the first time the Cowboys had scored in triple digits since 2017 and their highest scoring output since 2016.

The Cowboys needed to get back to playing their brand of hoops and a visit from the Knights provided that opportunity.

OSU started out by forcing turnovers and paying those takeaways off with points.

At the first timeout, OSU was up 11-7 despite being outshot 67% to 44% thanks to a 5-0 edge in second-chance points and a 5-0 advantage in points off of turnovers. The Knights had taken only three shots to that point. But the shooting percentage quickly turned in the Cowboys’ favor. OSU went through a stretch of making eight of nine shot attempts midway through the first to push their lead to 28-14.

That offensive outburst was led by Bryce Thompson, Abou Ousmane and Chi Chi Avery, the former two rebounding nicely from an off weekend.

The Cowboys took a 53-40 lead into the break. OSU led by as many as 19 in the first, but UCF put together a 6-0 run over the last three-plus minutes. It was also the Pokes’ highest scoring first half in Big 12 play since 2017. OSU shot 53% from the field and 31% from 3. At the half, OSU held a 20-0 advantage in points of turnovers, owning the TO battled 15-4. They also doubled up the Knights in fastbreak points 18-9.

Ousmane gave UCF big man Rokas Jocius a healthy dose of shoulder on a rebound attempt early in the second. He was called for personal foul No. 3 and then got caught jawing to earn a technical foul at the 17:17 mark.

At the 16:15 mark, OSU was called for its sixth team foul, putting the league’s best free-throw shooting team in the bonus the rest of the way. UCF was in the double bonus for the final 10 minutes of the game and went 31-for-38 from the stripe, setting a season-high for FT makes.

With the Cowboys being forced to play small, UCF threatened to pull within single digits a few times before Khalil Brantley jumpstarted a run all his own. He made back-to-back layups before Thompson capped a 6-0 run to put OSU back up 16 with 13 minutes to go.

The Knights cut the lead to five with 4:58 to go, necessitating a Steve Lutz timeout. Ousmane had been benched for 12 and a half minutes. He entered the fray with 4:37 to go. He quickly put pressure on the Knights and forced a foul and made a pair of free throws to contribute to a 6-0 Cowboy run. Ousmane would foul out with 90 seconds to go.

With just over three minutes left, Thompson absorbed some unwhistled contact on one of his signature midrange jumpers and slid toward the Cowboys bench. He sunk it for his 24th and 25ths points of the night, setting a new career high and a cadres of teammates gathered him to his feet, and he stumbled and sprinted back onto the maple floor to sprint down on defense. It was the perfect summation for a game in which the Cowboys just kept coming.

The Cowboys would hold on to win, repaying the home fans that braved the ice storm to make it to GIA.

Thompson led the charge of five Cowboys in double figures. He made his first three shots and was 5-for-10 from the floor in the first half. He had 11 points, three assists and no turnovers in the opening period. He finished with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, despite going only 1-for-4 from 3. Thompson added three boards and three assists without committing a turnover.

The Knights were without Moustapha Thiam due to illness which left them ill-equipped to deal with Ousmane who had 13 in the first, going 5-for-8. He’d finish with 17 on 12 shots, despite getting into foul trouble and missing most of the second half.

Arturo Dean added 16 points on just nine shots and continues to outplay his size. The point guard listed at 5-11 led the Cowboys and tied for the game-high in rebounds. He also dished out four assists to just one turnover.

Khalil Brantley scored 15 on the bench on seven attempts. He was picked on in crunch time when the Knights needed someone to foul, but he went 7-for-8 from the stripe.

Chi Chi Avery came off the bench against his former team and immediately nailed a 3 to put OSU up nine. A few moments later he charged to the rack off a steal to put them up 11. Avery scored 10 on five shots to got with six rebounds.

UCF’s Keyshawn Hall came in just 0.1 points below the Big 12’s leading scorer Javon Small, averaging 18.5 per game. He had 19 points on just eight shots (in the first half!). Hall finished with a game-high 34 points. Darius Johnson scored 23 on 12 shots and added six assists.

Both teams settled at 47% field-goal shooting with the Knights besting the Pokes from deep 33% to 22%. But OSU scored 26 points off 20 UCF turnovers, allowing just five points off their seven giveaways. The Cowboys also outscored the Knights 46-36 in the paint.

With the win, the Cowboys move to 13-13 and 5-10 in Big 12 play. Next up, they head to the Phog. Oklahoma State will travel to Lawrence to face No. 23 Kansas. The Jayhawks are returning home after a rare two-game skid after going 0-2 to Utah and BYU.

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