Cowboys lose fourth straight
Nebraska pulled away in the second half to whip OSU on Sunday, dropping the struggling Cowboys to 4-6 on the season.
Oklahoma State spent seven of its first 10 games away from Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowboys lost five of them.
Nebraska’s 79-56 victory Sunday in the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, handed OSU its fourth straight defeat. OSU led by seven late in the first half, but an end-of-half spurt from the Huskers continued after halftime as the Cowboys suffered their largest margin of defeat in coach Mike Boynton’s tenure.
OSU has gone 4-6 against what KenPom ranks as the nation’s 16th-hardest nonconference schedule. The Cowboys ranked 311th in that category last year.
Here are three takeaways from OSU’s loss. Blazer bust
One of Boynton’s notable in-game tendencies is taking off his blazer when things are going ideally for the Cowboy. Usually, the removal is subtle. Not Sunday.
After officials called an offensive foul on OSU guard Michael Weathers in the final seconds of the first half, Nebraska got a 3-pointer from Isaac Copeland to end the half on a 9-0 run, going ahead 32-30. Boynton soon received a technical foul arguing the foul on Weathers.
Making his way to the locker room, Boynton passionately removed his jacket and threw it onto the court.
When the game resumed, Nebraska’s Glynn Watson made both technical free throws, giving the Huskers a head start on eventually building a 25-point lead. After the Cowboys led 30-23 with 2:50 left before halftime, they were outscored 56-26. OSU is 0-5 when trailing at halftime. Common threads During their fourgame losing streak, the Cowboys are 32-for61 on free throws. They’ve averaged 15.3 turnovers.
With two home games separating OSU from Big 12 play, Boynton and his staff are efforting fixes. Boynton had the Cowboys, who already take free throws with regularity in practices, each write their free-throw routines down during a recent practice to try to establish some consistency. On a young team, one that ranks 303rd nationally in experience, the little things are taking on greater significance.
McGriff’s struggles continue
Cam McGriff, a force in OSU’s 4-2 start, has posted his four lowest scoring outputs this season in the Cowboys’ four-game losing streak.
Since scoring 28 points in a victory against then-No. 19 LSU, McGriff has 26 points total.
He’s making other contributions, with at least six rebounds in all four games and 10 on Sunday, but he’s shooting 23.7 percent in that stretch, including a 2-for-17 showing across the past two contests.
Struggles were not his alone. OSU entered as one the top 10 teams in 3-point shooting, but the Cowboys went 2-for15 from deep, including misses on all nine attempts in the second half. Aside from Weathers, Lindy Waters and Yor Anei — who scored a career-high 17 — OSU made five of its 27 shots.