Second halves hampering Cowboys
The Oklahoma State basketball team is going through a second-half slump. The Cowboys need to avoid carrying it into second half of Big 12 play.
Through eight conference games, OSU’s defense has been notably worse in second halves. The Cowboys’ league opponents have made 10 percent more of their shots and averaged almost 14 points more after the break.
Tuesday, No. 14 Texas Tech rallied from a 15-point deficit early in the second half for a 75-70 victory over the Cowboys. After scoring 25 first-half points while shooting under 30 percent, the Red Raiders made almost half their shots in the second half and put up 50 points.
OSU’s zone defense was effective early, but as Texas Tech became more aggressive, the Cowboys found themselves in foul trouble. The Red Raiders had nine more free-throw attempts in the second half than the first.
“We obviously played really well for 20 minutes, and really, to start the second half, we were pretty good, but on the road, you’ve got to play a complete 40,” coach Mike Boynton told the Cowboy Radio Network after the game. “You can’t wilt when the other team made a run, and we gave a little bit. We’ve got to learn from it and get better.”
In four of OSU’s five conference losses, it led after the first half. All but one Big 12 opponent has scored more points in the second half than it did in the first; Texas scored 32 in each half of its 65-64 loss to OSU. In the Cowboys’ other two conference victories, they won in overtime after enduring the opponent's secondhalf splurge.
Overall, the Cowboys have allowed an average of 33.6 points on 39.7 percent shooting in the first half of their eight Big 12 games. In the second half, those numbers jump to 47.3 points and 49.8 percent. They have been outscored by 66 points after halftime.
The first-half success, though, has the Cowboys believing in themselves, knowing what's possible if they can play 40 successful minutes.
“We can compete with anybody in the country and win,” sophomore Cam McGriff told Cowboy Radio Network. “We played for 20 minutes to win, but we also played for 20 minutes to lose.”
Meanwhile, OSU’s offense has generally improved out of the break. But a 7-percent increase in shooting percentage has upped the Cowboys’ scoring average by fewer than four points.
The Cowboys have attempted fewer shots in the second half more often than not in Big 12 games, including Tuesday. Texas Tech’s increased defensive aggression after halftime forced OSU into 11 turnovers with only 22 shot attempts.
The Cowboys get a break from the Big 12 on Saturday, facing SEC foe Arkansas on the road. It will be a chance for them not only to earn their first road victory under Boynton, but also to make a second-half statement heading into the latter half of their conference schedule.
“We know we’re capable,” Boynton said. “We know we have a good basketball team and one that’s capable of having success on the road. We just have to find a way to do it for 40 full minutes, and we haven’t done that yet.”