Instant Recap: Oklahoma States Holds Off Second-Half Surge, Tops No. 15 TCU 79-73

The Cowboys could only keep it pretty for so long. But when the game got ugly, they fought through for an impressive Top 15 win.

Oklahoma State defeated No. 15 TCU 79-73, despite giving up a 19-point second-half lead.

The Cowboys have started hot as of late, but they were on fire from the tip on Saturday. OSU raced off to a 12-0 lead starting off 7-0 after 90 seconds and three straight made shots. The Cowboys scored on their first five possessions and held TCU scoreless on the Frogs’ first six trips down the floor. OSU was up as much as 16 before the midway point of the first half and led 43-29 at the break.

The way things were going early for the Cowboys.

The Cowboys were able to build that lead by subverting expectations. OSU came into the game ranked ninth in the league in 3-point shooting — though that’s been on the rise the last four games — and was dead last in turnovers. But the Cowboys made five of their first six deep balls and six of their first 10 while not committing a turnover until the 10:43 mark of the first half. Meanwhile, TCU came in leading the league with the fewest turnovers committed, but the Cowboys forced the Horned Frogs into nine first-half turnovers that led to 11 OSU points. That disparity flipped late, but the Cowboys were able to build plenty of momentum while playing clean basketball.

It also didn’t hurt that Kalib Boone continued his hot streak, now scoring double-digits in six-straight games. After scoring 10 or more just five times in his first 13 outings this year, Boone has only failed to reach double digits once in 10 games in the calendar year of 2023, and that one was an eight-point game against Baylor.

Boone led all scorers with a career-high 25 points and shared a team-high of six rebounds. He also added two assists and two steals.

TCU was delayed to Stillwater due to weather and missed the morning shootaround, but it didn’t stop the shorthanded Horned Frogs from making one heck of a run in the second half. TCU was without the Big 12’s third-leading scorer, and Big 12 Preseason Play of the Year, Mike Miles as well as starting center Eddie Lampkin. But without Miles, five Horned Frogs step up and scored in double digits.

Despite their clean start, the Cowboys couldn’t avoid the turnover bug long. After Asberry rattled off his own 5-0 to start the second half and balloon the Cowboys’ lead to 19, the Frogs came hopping back, taking advantage of some trademark OSU miscues. The Cowboys gave it away five times in just over five minutes allowing TCU to surge to a 20-3 run and trim the deficit to just two points midway through the second. OSU finished with 16 TOs.

Mike Boynton went with a rare huge lineup, featuring Kalib Boone, Moussa Cisse and Woody Newton on the floor at the same time and it worked, in spurts, as the Cowboys pushed their lead back to eight.

But the Cowboys went cold and continued to turn it over, and TCU continued to take advantage. TCU converted 16 OSU turnovers into 23 points. TCU took its first lead with 5:08 left and it was a dogfight from there, with the Cowboys squeezing out a win after leading by just three with less than a minute remaining thanks to a late 9-0 run.

Avery Anderson was questionable after reaggravating a wrist injury in the Cowboys’ Bedlam win Wednesday night and did not see the court. In his stead, Caleb Asberry set a new OSU career-high with 19 points on just nine shots. He was 3-of-6 from 3. John-Michael Wright scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting (4-of-6 from deep) and grabbed three rebounds and two blocks.

While Asberry was the first-half hero, Wright had his fingerprints all over a late-game run that helped the Cowboys pull away in the final minutes. He had several big shots down the stretch, had a block and then corralled this Cisse block and launched it behind down the court to set up a fastbreak.

With the win, Oklahoma State moves to 14-9 and 5-5 in Big 12 play. Next up, the Cowboys host Texas Tech at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night.