FLIGHT SCHOOL
Cowboys show maturity, taking big leap in upset win vs. Kansas
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton has spoken about “The Process” for three-plus seasons.
I t was goi ng t o be hard. There would be disappointments and frustrations.
But to rebuild the program, things had to be done the correct way.
“The Process” took a huge leap forward Tuesday night. A young and super-talented C o wb o y s t e a m h e l d f i r m against a national powerhouse.
O S U k n o c k e d o f f N o . 6-ranked Kansas 75-70 inside Gallagher-Iba Arena, showing an improved maturity behind a flurry of jaw-dropping plays in the final 61 seconds.
“This is what `The Process' looks like,” Boynton said. “It doesn't always happen immediately. It's not easy. It's not fun. I want to win them all. I get it. I understand the frustration. But I also understand
that what I see i s our team getting better. I'm proud of them.”
The Cowboys (9-3, 3-3 Big 12) feature a deep roster of talent — easily the best roster i n Boynton's t enure — but lack experience with a group primarily composed of freshmen and sophomores.
That led to the lumps this season.
• An eight-point lead lost in the final 2 minutes against TCU.
• A 1 7 - 0 r u n a t T e x a s t hat e r a s e d a s e c ond- hal f advantage.
• A blown 19-point lead in the final 11 minutes against West Virginia.
On Tuesday, the Cowboys again held a 16-point advant a ge with 9: 1 6 r e maining. A g a i n , t h e y w e n t c o l d offensively.
F i v e t u r n o v e r s . S e v e n misfires.
And Kansas swept away the deficit, taking a 70- 67 lead with 1:20 remaining.
B o y n t o n t o l d h i s t e a m another collapse wasn't happening. The Cowboys were the
better team all night.
“It can start to be psychological and you can start to wonder if this is going to be another one of those deals,” Boynton said. “But we continue to show what we are capable of.”
OS U can put the best defense on its heels, using its run-and-gun attack generally setup by a rapidly improving defense.
The Cowboys were dazzling in the final stretch.
Isaac Likekele hit a tying 3-pointer from the corner, his sixth of the year, with 1:01 remaining.
Then the run-and-gun Cowboys came alive.
OS U superstar Ca de Cunningham blocked a lay up by Marcus Garrett. As Cunningham went to save the ball from going out of bounds, he t urned and fired a baseball pass to Bryce Williams. Immediately, Williams threw a long pass toward the basket over two defenders and Rondel Walker, who converted the layup as he was fouled.
He made the free throw for
a 73-70 lead with 38.3 seconds remaining.
Garrett missed a 3 and Ochai Agbaji got off two more 3- point attempts, missing each time. After the rebound went out of bounds with 4.2 seconds remaining, Williams stole the inbounds pass and broke away from an emphatic dunk as ti me expired.
“I just feel like we got a lot of dogs,” Williams said. “I think we've grown up tremendously in practice and on the court. Even if we're young, we're going to mature up.”
And these Cowboys have
grown.
Boynton said he noticed his team start to mature after the loss to Texas. He was sitting on OSU's bus on the drive home thinking of the missed opportunity but how his team kept up with the now fourth-ranked team in the country.
OSU found an identity that day built on high-tempo created by defensive turnovers. When that happens, the Cowboys are overwhelming.
“We know who we are and how we need to have success,” Boynton said. “We are best when we are getting out and running.
“It's hard to stop, right? If we're getting stops and getting out in transition, that' s really most of our consistency.”
Jacob Unruh covers college sports for The Oklahoman. You can send your story ideas to him at junruh@ oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @jacobunruh. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.