The Cowboys were looking to turn College Basketball upside down Tuesday night by pulling an upset, and they gave it a good shot. They got off to a great start, they shot the ball well, took care of and shared it, and matched Houston, or came close in almost every statistical category.
The almost(s), however, were rebounding, leading to 2nd chance points and free throw shooting, and they were so glaring that they turned a great bid at an upset into an uphill battle that was too much to handle.
The Start
Jamyron Keller hit a three-pointer just 18 seconds into the game, then after playing good offense for an extended period, OSU built an 18-9 lead by the 2nd media timeout. The Pokes were shooting well, something they did all night, they were getting downhill, finishing at the rim, and sharing the ball.
And, they were taking it to Houston, a team that relies on intimidating its opponent.
But, despite a valiant attempt, for the entire game, Houston eventually overtook OSU when Mylik Wilson put in a layup at the 5:54 mark of the 1st Half, and from that point, the Cougars outscored OSU 16-11 to take a 6-point lead into the halftime locker room.
The lead was 9, but Arturo Dean hit a 3-pointer just ahead of the buzzer.
2nd Half
The Cowboys had little margin for error to pull off such a huge upset, and being down 6 at half reduced that margin even further. So, OSU needed a quick start coming out of the locker room, but that’s not what they got. What they got was quite the opposite. The Pokes did not score for the first 4:10 of the 2nd half and only scored 2 points in the first 7:21 of 2nd Half play.
By then the Cowboys had fallen behind by 15 points, which proved too much to overcome.
And, although OSU kept fighting all night and did pull within 6 with 1:15 to go, it was too little too late, and OSU lost its 8th Game in Conference play 72-63. The Pokes dropped to 11-1 on the season and 3-8 in Conference play.
Stats
The Cowboys shot 51% from the floor, so they had a good night shooting, and, quite frankly, a good night at just about everything.
But, the “Just About” is a big one!
OSU gave 18 offensive rebounds and got outscored in 2nd chance points 18-0, then made just 6 of its 12 free throws.
Because the Cowboys gave up so many offensive rebounds to the Cougars and missed half of its freebies, it canceled what otherwise was a very well-played game by OSU. The Pokes shot 10% better than Houston from the floor, then every other statistic was either a dead heat or very close.
It’s not often that one statistic is so dominant that it becomes the only reason a team wins or loses, but, Tuesday night was as simple as rebounding. Rebound better and the game is a toss-up. Rebound evenly with Houston and the Pokes win, it’s as simple as that.
That is both exciting and frustrating all in one.
It’s exciting because it shows that OSU is talented enough to play with one of the best teams in College basketball on the road. It’s frustrating, though, because this team needs to “steal” a win somewhere along the way, and last night could have been that opportunity.
This team is playing better and has several winnable games ahead of them. If they continue to improve, it’s not out of the realm of possibility they could post as many as 7 or 8 conference wins, with a very outside shot at more than that. Especially if they can find a way to “steal” a game that they shouldn’t, as mentioned in terms of the opportunity last night.
The Action
Arturo Dean had a very active night, scoring 13 with four assists and five steals in 29 minutes. OSU relies somewhat heavily on points-off turnovers, so when he’s stealing the ball from the other team, it greatly helps.
Bryce Thompon scored 11, which marks his 9th game in a row he’s posted Double Digits. He also had four assists and just one turnover and pulled down a couple of boards. 
Chi Chi Avery was instant offense again, scoring 10 points in 23 minutes. He also had a blocked shot, three rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Avery has scored in double digits in his last three games, in 5 of 6, and in 8 of the 10 games since the beginning of the year. Next Up
Next on the schedule, the Pokes play host to Arizona State, who lost a tough one to KState Tuesday night, missing two free throws with just a few seconds left. The Sun Devils have also recently had a very intense in-state rivalry that ended up with neither team shaking hands after the game. So, they will enter Stillwater in a bad mood, one the Cowboys will have to match if they want to come away with a win. The tip is set for 1:00.
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