Hard-fought season has emotional end
STILLWATER — Mitchell Solomon limped his way into the media room, his eyes red and wet. Although those eyes made his feelings clear, he expressed them verbally, too.
“It’s about to get emotional,” Solomon said, “so if you guys could make me look good while I’m crying, I’d appreciate it.”
Solomon’s Oklahoma State career came to an end Wednesday night with a 92-84 loss to Western Kentucky in the NIT quarterfinals. No matter the result Wednesday night, Gallagher-Iba Arena’s season was going to come to the end. The Cowboys
could not avoid the same fate.
As it had throughout Mike Boynton’s first season as its coach, OSU fought, rallying consistently, but the Hilltoppers repeatedly answered. OSU senior Kendall Smith split a pair of free throws with 4:31 left in the fourth quarter to make it a onepoint game, but WKU (2710) finished the game on an 18-11 run to advance to the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“I’m going to be coaching a team 10 years from now, and I’m going to reference this group,” Boynton said. “I’m going to reference this team for years and years and years.”
The Hilltoppers’ success came mostly in the paint; they finished with 50 points inside, seamlessly maneuvering their way inside OSU’s defense. Despite WKU’s scoring ease, the Cowboys (21-15) managed to keep the contest close. They trailed 40-38 at halftime despite a 58.8-percent shooting clip from the Hilltoppers. At the buzzer, Smith nailed a 3 off a Brandon Averette pass.
After the break, the game’s intensity turned into chippiness on the floor. After Smith ended up on the ground after trying to take a charge, WKU’s Taveion Hollingsworth, who paced the Hilltoppers with 30 points, stepped over him. Smith was clearly upset and gave Hollingsworth’s foot a shove.
The play came amid a 7-0 run for WKU, but OSU rallied to tie the game at 60 on a pair of free throws from senior Jeffrey Carroll.
In the fourth, Tavarius Shine and WKU’s Lamonte Bearden were called for offsetting technical fouls after lightly butting heads amid a scrum. Shine, a redshirt junior who is undecided on returning to OSU, fouled out on the play, possibly his last as a Cowboy.
For Solomon, there are no questions. Wednesday night was the last time the OSU fan from Bixby will get to don the uniform he always dreamed of wearing.
In the final minutes, Boynton pulled Carroll and Smith from the floor. Solomon, already on the bench, received a postgame ovation ahead of standing and swaying for Cowboys’ alma mater one last time.
“That means so much to me growing up a Cowboy,” Solomon said. “Kind of sucks that the last time I got to sing it was after we lost, but that’s part of the tradition that we have in this program.
“It means so much to be able to be a part of it and be a foundation for the future. Thank you!”