Oklahoma State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Downs Northwestern State
June 21, 1999 | Cowboy Basketball
November 16, 1998
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - No. 13 Oklahoma State played its season opener the same way it has practiced, which is cause for some concern for coach Eddie Sutton.
"I think at times we're pretty good. We're just so spotty in our performance," Sutton said Monday night after a 90-65 victory over Northwestern State of Louisiana.
"We play pretty well for a while, then it seems like to me we start shifting into reverse and don't play like a good basketball team should play."
The Cowboys, who were 22-7 last year, had to withstand rallies in each half to win their 24th straight home opener and 79th straight non-conference home game.
Northwestern State (0-2) made it a game despite having five of its 10 players foul out. The Demons, who don't have a senior on the roster, were whistled for 37 fouls and were outscored 37-12 from the free throw line, although Oklahoma State missed 15 of its chances.
"I've never been anywhere where the other team gets to shoot 20 more free throws in the first half than we do, but I can't control that," coach J.D. Barnett said.
"They're nationally ranked and we're not even in the top 150. For youngsters that are freshmen and sophomores and juniors that have never played in a Division I basketball game, I was very pleased."
Joe Adkins scored 23 and Adrian Peterson, the coaches' choice to be player of the year in the Big 12, had 21 for Oklahoma State. Richard Taylor scored 25 for the Demons.
Peterson, one of four starters back from last year, scored 14 of his points in the first half when the Cowboys took a 20-point lead.
Northwest Louisiana used an 11-2 run in the first four minutes of the second half to cut into the lead, and twice the Demons got within seven, the final time 67-60 with 7:37 remaining. But they made only two field goals the rest of the way.
"When you go up by 20, it's really hard to maintain the same intensity against a team like that," Peterson said. "It's human nature, there's going to be a lapse in there sooner or later. We just needed to get through that lapse and pick it up."
He scored nine of the Cowboys' first 11 points as they grabbed a quick 13-5 lead. Northwestern State used a 14-5 run to take a 19-18 lead midway through the half, but got buried by a 31-9 spurt in the final 8:58 before halftime.
Peterson started the run with a transition 3-pointer from the left wing. The Cowboys then scored five points from the line - two by Desmond Mason, and three of four by Adkins after consecutive technical fouls were called against the Northwestern State bench.
Adkins added two more free throws and two backdoor layups as the Cowboys ran out to a 37-20 lead.
