COWBOYS

Oklahoma State vs. Tulsa men's basketball: Three takeaways from Cowboys' dominant victory

Jacob Unruh
Oklahoman

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton went deeper into his bench earlier searching for a quick answer.

For once, OSU was off to a slow start. The offense looked lost to start the game. 

Chris Harris Jr., Tyreek Smith and Quion Williams were the sparks.

Williams had a wild put-back layup. Harris connected with Smith for two dunks.

And OSU’s offense suddenly looked unstoppable.

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“It’s sometimes a little easier to come off the bench and kinda be the person to change the momentum of the game,” Boynton said.

In an up-and-down start to the season offensively, the Cowboys’ again found a way to build a big lead in the opening half and this time put the game out of reach in a dominant 82-56 win over Tulsa on Friday in front of 9,856 fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The Cowboys (4-2) built a 39-point lead in the second half.

“That’s what we’re supposed to do,” OSU junior Bryce Thompson said. “That’s our job to go out there and win and win the right way. We played until the buzzer was over and I think that’s what we’re supposed to do.”

Thompson led all scorers with 18 points, while Moussa Cisse had 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Smith added 10 points and seven rebounds. It was his second straight game to reach double figures.

Harris also had five points, four assists and three rebounds.

Former Midwest City star Keyshawn Embery-Simpson led Tulsa with 10 points off the bench.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

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Thompson finds rhythm

Thompson spent a good part of his Thanksgiving day shooting a basketball.

That was his focus all week. 

Shot after shot after shot.

Early in the morning. Some with his father, Rod.

“It just kind of paid off,” Thompson said. “My teammates were able to find me. We had a great gameplan going in.”

Thompson made 6 of 14 shots — including 4 of 8 from 3-point range — as he gained more and more confidence with each make.

It was perhaps a breakthrough moment. And it came against the Golden Hurricane, a team he considered when transferring from Kansas and a program his dad once starred for on the floor.

“Definitely,” Thompson said about feeling like he took a step forward. “I’m blessed. I’m thankful. I’m going to keep building. I’m going to keep working. I’m going to keep trying to do the things that my team needs me to do.”

Throughout the past three games, though, Thompson was out of sync.

He made just 7 of 27 shots and missed all seven 3-pointers he attempted. In five total games to start the season, he had made just two shots from behind the arc.

But shooters are going to shoot.

Boynton said it was good to see Thompson’s big night after a slow start, considering the expectations Thompson feels.

“My message to him is just get back to having fun playing basketball,” Boynton said. “I think if he does that, he'll have more success and he’ll feel less pressure about proving whatever other people expect of him because he’s good enough.

“It’s not like he’s being asked to do something he’s not capable of doing.”

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Oklahoma State guard Bryce Thompson (1) passes the ball in the second half during a college basketball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the Southern Illinois Salukis at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022.

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Offense awakens

For 5 minutes and 31 seconds to open the game, OSU’s offense looked dreadful.

The Cowboys missed their first eight shots — and most weren’t close — as the fans grew restless in their tradition of standing until the first point was scored by the Cowboys.

John-Michael Wright made a 3-pointer with 14:29 remaining in the half to end the skid. OSU then missed its next three shots.

“Usually we get off to a good start,” Smith said. “But it was just so slow. I can’t even tell you what was the problem, but I’m glad we fixed it quick.”

From there — with the lineup change — they were mostly red hot.

Williams, a true freshman, was an early spark, making a wild put-back layup and then another layup within 65 seconds.

He finished with a career-best six points and seven rebounds.

Boynton said Williams has fought through the normal freshman struggles but continued to play the game how he’s expected to and it finally showed in a big way.

“Because of that, he’ll continue to find ways to impact us,” Boynton said. “Some days he’ll score, some days he may not but I thought playing the game the right way has really given him a chance.”

Williams’ layup started a run in which OSU made 15 of its next 19 shots and took a 31-16 lead.

The Cowboys shot 48.5% overall and made 32 of 66 shots. They also made 9 of 27 from 3-point range.

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Cowboys dominate paint

OSU’s frontcourt again dominated.

Cisse had his dominant moments. So did Kalib Boone. Smith was strong off the bench.

“We knew that we would be much smaller than them,” Tulsa coach Eric Konkol said.

The Cowboys did have a distinct size advantage. They outscored Tulsa 44-30 in the paint.

The play inside really turned the game for the Cowboys, who fell behind early in the offensive funk largely by playing too much on the perimeter. They started getting to the basket, with the trio largely dunking. 

OSU had nine total dunks. 

“The gameplan was we’re the bigger team and more physical,” Smith said. “So, the focal point was to try to dominate the paint, get the offensive rebounds and be the tougher team for real. And that’s what we did.”

OSU also out-rebounded Tulsa 43-38.

Jacob Unruh covers college sports for The Oklahoman. You can send your story ideas to him at junruh@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @jacobunruh. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.