Oklahoma State Cowboys rout OU Sooners for Bedlam basketball sweep
OSU basketball coach Mike Boynton discusses his team’s win over Iowa State.
Cowboys basketball coach Mike Boynton discusses OSU’s win over Iowa State on Saturday.
Oklahoma State Athletics, Oklahoma
NORMAN — Oklahoma Sr. Kalib Boone never shied away from telling the crowd to quiet down.
A full Lloyd Noble Center meant nothing to the Cowboys big man.
Boone – fully embracing his role as the villain in what may be his last Bedlam game – left the Sooners powerless.
The Tulsa Memorial graduate put on a show, dominating at the low post to score 18 points in a stunning 71-61 win late Wednesday night in front of a sold-out crowd mostly vacant due to the threat of inclement weather.
Then he came back to a comparison he made a year ago: big brother vs. little brother.
“Being from Oklahoma and being a part of this rivalry is just different mentally,” Boone said. “I respect OU. I can’t say anything else about it. I respect them to the point that I will say nice things about their school, but when it comes time to play them, like I said last year, it’s little brother vs big brother.
“That’s how I see it.”
More:Tramel’s ScissorTales: Insights into Langston Basketball’s epic turn from 1-27 to 21-1
Boone confirmed his words in two games this season, paving the way for a Bedlam sweep.
OSU (13-9, 4-5 Big 12) has won four of its last five games. Two of those came up against the Sooners in two weeks, putting the Cowboys firmly back in the NCAA tournament discussion and giving them an advantage over OU in all bubble scenarios coming March.
The win was only OSU’s third win at Norman since the 2003–04 season, the last Final Four appearance for the program. Two of those victories were won under coach Mike Boynton, who was also the Cowboys’ assistant in the first of the three victories.
OSU has won six of their last seven against OU.
“I think we’re confident because we work really hard every day,” Boynton said. “And so when we go out there and play as a team, like we did tonight, and put it all together… we did a lot of things to give ourselves a chance.”
From the beginning everything was OSU.
The Cowboys led by as much as 14 points in the first half. He extended to 22 in the second half. OU never led, scoring just 35% overall.
Towards the end of the second half, “Orange Power” chants took over the arena as the OU fans left the tournament. OSU fans also later filled the arena with “SEC” chants.
“I thought our guys were literally stuck up to the top in the last two days of prep,” Boynton said. “I think we show that we’re a good team when we play together, share the ball well and then defend at a very, very high level, which I think we did almost the whole game today.”
Here are three takeaways from the big win:
More:How the state of Oklahoma “reinvented” itself offensively to climb into the Big 12, reigniting NCAA hopes
Calib Boone overwhelms Sooners
Boone launched the offensive attack.
He had an assist on the opening possession and found Woody Newton for a layup in a game scheduled to run through Boone on Tuesday.
“I just have to be aggressive,” Boone said. “I just can’t really think about what I’ve done.”
Boone then scored three straight baskets from two free throws. He didn’t miss a shot until there were less than 16 minutes in the game.
Boone scored 15 points in the first matchup with the Sooners. He has 18 points in three straight games.
He was good at that. But better on Wednesday.
“He was sensational,” said Boynton. “He gave us a really, really good start and I think put them on their heels in the first few minutes of the game, not only with his goals but also with some good passing, rebounding and defending.”
The Sooners had no answer for Boone in the low post. He danced around Tanner Groves and Sam Godwin. Boone dipped putbacks. He also defended well and had four rebounds.
And he waved at the crowd several times.
It was his night.
More:What did the state of Oklahoma learn from Ole Miss’ escape? Cowboys are starting to find our juice
Oklahoma State’s offense is nearly flawless
The long goalless stretches did not exist.
OSU’s offense never reached the longer stretch that has plagued it all season. It just kept going.
The Cowboys never went more than three possessions in a row without scoring. Her longest losing streak was 2 minutes and 44 seconds in the first half.
This resulted in a balanced offensive attack.
Moussa Cisse had 18 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench, his best performance since injuring his ankle a month ago.
“I feel great,” Cisse said. “It felt good to come back.”
Avery Anderson III had 12 points and Bryce Thompson had 11.
The Cowboys got a boost on the boards and dominated OU 40-30. Newton led with 10 rebounds and impacted the game in other ways.
OSU also made 9 of 12 from the free throw line.
More:How OSU’s Terrence Rencher became a college coach thanks to Rodney Terry, Porter Moser
Mike Boynton gets 100th win
Boynton has avoided speaking about the milestone.
But one day he will talk to his son Ace about the achievement and the night it happened.
“No coach is good without good players,” said Boynton. “In these 100 wins I didn’t score a basket, didn’t get a rebound. I got ejected on one of those losses; maybe I could have helped a little better.
“But it’s proof that I have good players and good staff. I am truly blessed to have an administration that allows us to do our jobs at a really high level. It is certainly something remarkable.”
Boynton pointed out that the senior class — Boone, Anderson and Chris Harris Jr. — accounted for more than half of the wins.
Her class has earned 67 wins over four seasons.
“We’ve seen a lot of ups and downs,” Boone said. “To see him get that 100th game this year is a blessing and an honor. I’m happy for him.
“He puts a lot of work into it. He’s probably the hardest working person I’ve ever met in my life and he deserves it.”
