AnniePokely
03-02-2008, 08:14 AM
• Victory over Nebraska puts Pokes at 7-7 in Big 12 play
Ryan Steele - NewsPress
It took Oklahoma State nearly five minutes to score its first basket.
But once the Cowboys’ switch was flipped on, Nebraska couldn’t find a way to turn it off.
O-State won its fifth straight game Saturday as it defeated the Huskers, 77-63, in front of 10,663 fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys have won six of their last seven contests since ending a six-game losing streak last month, and with Saturday’s victory, they moved into a tie for fifth place in the Big 12 standings.
“The season is far from over,” said senior Marcus Dove. “Even though outside sources kind of counted us down and out, we knew we still had a chance and that’s all that matters. We just have to keep working hard.”
Coach Sean Sutton added, “I’m not sure anybody else believed it other than the guys in that locker room and the coaching staff. We’re certainly not satisfied — we want to try to finish this out and see if we can win the two coming up next week.”
OSU (16-12, 7-7) scored nine unanswered points midway through the first half and jumped out to a 21-9 lead, but the Huskers responded with 7-1 run and narrowed the gap to 31-27 when Steve Harley drained a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining in the period.
A jumper by junior Terrel Harris gave the Cowboys a 40-31 advantage early in the second, and Nebraska (17-10, 6-8) didn’t get closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Back-to-back treys by sophomore Obi Muonelo midway through the period proved to be the exclamation point for OSU, which led by as many as 19 points late in the game.
“I thought the first 35 minutes, we played pretty well,” Sutton said. “These guys are starting to see that when we play like we’re capable, we can play with a lot of good teams. These guys have been fun to coach and fun to watch.”
Junior Byron Eaton added, “It feels a lot better when you’re in the middle of the pack or toward the top than it is at the bottom. We got two huge games left, we’ll try to close these out going into Kansas City and see if we can sneak into the NCAA Tournament.”
Eaton led the Cowboys — who shot 52.4 percent from the field and 24-of-33 from the free-throw line — with 20 points, senior Marcus Dove added 17, and Muonelo chipped in with 12.
For the Huskers, 6-foot-11 center Aleks Maric recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, Steve Harley added 17 points and Ade Dagunduro contributed 12.
“I think (the Cowboys) are one of three or four most talented teams in this league, and they’re starting to play like they’re one of those teams,” said NU coach Doc Sadler. “They’re playing very, very well right now.”
OSU will play its final home game of the season at 7 p.m. Wednesday when it hosts Bedlam rival Oklahoma. The Sooners — who routed Texas A&M, 64-37, on Saturday — escaped with a 64-61 win during the previous meeting in Norman on Jan. 28.
“When we were at (the Lloyd Noble Center), we should have beat them,” Eaton said. “They got some calls and they hit some shots, but we just have to come out and jump on them like we did with Nebraska. We have to get a good lead and don’t look back.”
Wednesday will also be the last home outing for a pair of Cowboy seniors — Dove and former walk-on Tyler Hatch.
Ryan Steele - NewsPress
It took Oklahoma State nearly five minutes to score its first basket.
But once the Cowboys’ switch was flipped on, Nebraska couldn’t find a way to turn it off.
O-State won its fifth straight game Saturday as it defeated the Huskers, 77-63, in front of 10,663 fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys have won six of their last seven contests since ending a six-game losing streak last month, and with Saturday’s victory, they moved into a tie for fifth place in the Big 12 standings.
“The season is far from over,” said senior Marcus Dove. “Even though outside sources kind of counted us down and out, we knew we still had a chance and that’s all that matters. We just have to keep working hard.”
Coach Sean Sutton added, “I’m not sure anybody else believed it other than the guys in that locker room and the coaching staff. We’re certainly not satisfied — we want to try to finish this out and see if we can win the two coming up next week.”
OSU (16-12, 7-7) scored nine unanswered points midway through the first half and jumped out to a 21-9 lead, but the Huskers responded with 7-1 run and narrowed the gap to 31-27 when Steve Harley drained a three-pointer with eight seconds remaining in the period.
A jumper by junior Terrel Harris gave the Cowboys a 40-31 advantage early in the second, and Nebraska (17-10, 6-8) didn’t get closer than eight points the rest of the way.
Back-to-back treys by sophomore Obi Muonelo midway through the period proved to be the exclamation point for OSU, which led by as many as 19 points late in the game.
“I thought the first 35 minutes, we played pretty well,” Sutton said. “These guys are starting to see that when we play like we’re capable, we can play with a lot of good teams. These guys have been fun to coach and fun to watch.”
Junior Byron Eaton added, “It feels a lot better when you’re in the middle of the pack or toward the top than it is at the bottom. We got two huge games left, we’ll try to close these out going into Kansas City and see if we can sneak into the NCAA Tournament.”
Eaton led the Cowboys — who shot 52.4 percent from the field and 24-of-33 from the free-throw line — with 20 points, senior Marcus Dove added 17, and Muonelo chipped in with 12.
For the Huskers, 6-foot-11 center Aleks Maric recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, Steve Harley added 17 points and Ade Dagunduro contributed 12.
“I think (the Cowboys) are one of three or four most talented teams in this league, and they’re starting to play like they’re one of those teams,” said NU coach Doc Sadler. “They’re playing very, very well right now.”
OSU will play its final home game of the season at 7 p.m. Wednesday when it hosts Bedlam rival Oklahoma. The Sooners — who routed Texas A&M, 64-37, on Saturday — escaped with a 64-61 win during the previous meeting in Norman on Jan. 28.
“When we were at (the Lloyd Noble Center), we should have beat them,” Eaton said. “They got some calls and they hit some shots, but we just have to come out and jump on them like we did with Nebraska. We have to get a good lead and don’t look back.”
Wednesday will also be the last home outing for a pair of Cowboy seniors — Dove and former walk-on Tyler Hatch.