Cowboys stun West Virginia
Out on the road recruiting last week, Oklahoma State coach Brad Underwood pulled up his team’s first matchup with West Virginia on video and was alarmed.
Not at the outcome, a Mountaineers rout; that he remembered clearly.
What struck him was his Cowboys’ growth since.
Saturday, Underwood witnessed the ultimate confirmation – in person.
OSU 82, No. 7 West Virginia 75.
In Morgantown, at a soldout WVU Coliseum.
“We’ve grown up a lot,” said point guard Jawun Evans, who finished with 18 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals.
The Cowboys won their fifth straight, handed the Mountaineers just their fourth home loss in two seasons and snapped a 12-game losing streak to ranked opponents.
And the rematch was a complete turnaround in every way.
OSU struck hard and fast, with Jeffrey Carroll sending the Cowboys to a 15-4 lead, scoring 13 of the points himself, on three 3-pointers and two layups.
They handled West Virginia’s pressure for the most part; won on the boards and in the paint; and attacked the basket for easy buckets, contributing to a 62.5 percent shoot-
Mountaineers.
Keys to the win:
Growth. Two weeks ago, the Cowboys stood 0-6 in Big 12 play and could have become fragile mentally.
Instead, they’ve been galvanized, responding to Underwood’s defensive adjustment and showing a grit and toughness not seen around Stillwater in several seasons.
In the first meeting, West Virginia scored 50 points in the paint, paving the way for a 92-75 romp.
This time, OSU outscored the Mountaineers 32-22 in the paint, forcing WVU to fire up 33 shots from the arc, making just 12.
The Cowboys dominated the boards, 30-16, despite Mitchell Solomon playing on a gimpy ankle rolled in practice Friday and Leyton Hammonds, their other starting forward, limited to eight minutes due to foul issues.
“I’ve never had a team in 35 years get out-rebounded 30-16, never,” said WVU coach Bob Huggins, “and that’s playing everybody that’s any good in college basketball.”
Solomon battled for six boards and Davon Dillard grabbed five in a big performance off the bench.
Underwood said his team didn’t “compete” in the first meeting.
That wasn’t a problem Saturday.
“I was really proud of our guys today,” Underwood said.
“There was some fight. It was execution of the game plan, and we did an unbelievable job.”
Closing Time. Remember when the Cowboys couldn’t close, playing teams tough for 35 minutes or so, then fading at the finish? No more. They ran away from Texas Tech, TCU and Arkansas at the start of this winning streak, but found a way in the final seconds at Oklahoma on Monday night.
They forced their way at West Virginia.
Tied 64-64, the game changed on the defensive end when Dillard took a charge with 5:30 left. Huggins, infuriated, went to the floor and drew a technical. Phil Forte nailed both free throws and the Cowboys never trailed again, building a lead of seven at one point, then pulling away late after the Mountaineers pulled within two at 76-74 with 1:25 left.
OSU went 8-for-8 from the line over the final 2:31, with Evans and Forte each making four.
“Those two together were spectacular,” Underwood said.
Double D. Difference makers were easy to find for OSU.
Carroll set the tone early and finished with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, after a rough offensive performance in Bedlam.
Forte and Evans combined for 31 points, playing like a big-time backcourt.
Lindy Waters played just nine minutes, but drilled two big 3-pointers, including one with 3:08 remaining.
And then there was Davon Dillard, doing a little of everything: taking the charge and grabbing the boards, scoring eight points on 3-of-3 shooting. Dazzling some, too, with a driving, throw-down dunk that quickly circulated across Twitter.
“I use the word swagger a lot,” Underwood said.
“He’s got a lot of it. He’s a confident young man. He’s fearless.
“There’s going to be some things I probably get frustrated with and I don’t like that he does.
“But tonight, his growth… he committed a really bad turnover in the backcourt, and then stood in and took a charge. Davon hasn’t taken a charge in his career, so we’re making some progress there.
“He made a great dribble drive attack on the rim and about tore the rim off. Some of his