Cowboys ‘can’t dwell too long’ after dropping Big 12 opener

STILLWATER — Michael Weathers’ driving layup narrowed Oklahoma State’s deficit to three, and coach Mike Boynton slapped the court an equal number of times.

The energy the moment built inside Gallagher-Iba Arena was short-lived, as Iowa State guard Lindell Wigginton’s 3-pointer at the other end provided the Cyclones enough distance to endure any further Cowboy efforts in their 69-63 victory in both teams’ Big 12 opener.

The loss left OSU (6-7 overall, 0-1 Big 12) with its third straight defeat in conference openers.

“Just another night in the Big 12,” Boynton said afterward, aware that 17 similar challenges await his young team.

Still, Boynton was pleased what he saw from a squad that returns only three players who had played major minutes in Big 12 games entering this season. He credited a nonconference schedule that sent the Cowboys away from Stillwater for seven of their first 10 games.

“I thought for all the concerns about not having a bunch of experienced guys playing in this league, we played like a team that had been through games like this,” he said. “That’s why we scheduled the way we did.”

But it was the Cowboys’ veterans who carried them to the verge of downing the Cyclones (11-2, 1-0). Juniors Cam McGriff and Lindy Waters, both captains, tied for the team lead with 15 points, as McGriff added 13 rebounds and five assists to post his second straight double-double and fourth of the season.

McGriff was at his best in the first half with 12 points and nine boards, but the Cyclones managed to quiet him after the break, holding him to one make on four attempts. It was only the Cowboys’ second loss when McGriff scored at least 12 points.

Asked why his second half didn’t live up to the first, McGriff cited Weathers, who kept OSU afloat with 10 second-half points and repeatedly got to the basket with ease. He didn’t always finish once he got there; the Cowboys made only eight of their 24 layup attempts.

The greater concern was the Cowboys’ ability to handle transition on both ends of the floor; the Cyclones held a 22-3 advantage in fastbreak points.

“Whenever we call the play, we don’t get to it quick enough,” Waters said. “Whenever we do, we’ll have four guys on the same page and one not.”

Shooting, too, failed the Cowboys. Having entered as one of the nation’s top 20 teams in 3-point shooting, OSU made only two of its 13 attempts from deep in the second half after going into halftime with a 36-35 lead behind a 9-0 run courtesy a trio of 3-pointers from McGriff, Curtis Jones and Thomas Dziagwa. OSU had been 6-1 when leading at halftime.

The Cowboys next visit Norman for the season’s first edition of Bedlam at 1 p.m. Saturday, facing an Oklahoma team coming off its second loss after narrowly falling to No. 5 Kansas on Wednesday.

“Can’t dwell too long,” Boynton said. “Short memories must prevail in this league.”