Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys fall to Bearcats in non-conference break, 61-50
April 10, 2003 | Cowboy Basketball
Cincinnati's tight man-to-man defense sent Oklahoma State into a second-half tailspin. The Cowboys missed 16 of their first 18 shots in the half, allowing the Bearcats to turn a one-point deficit into a 14-point lead.
Oklahoma State never got closer than nine points the rest of the way. The Cowboys shot a season-low 34 percent from the field, including 2-of-12 on 3-point attempts.
Point guard Victor Williams led Oklahoma State with 18 points, but had only two assists as the offense bogged down for a second straight game. The Cowboys shot only 38.6 percent from the field in a 63-55 victory over Kansas State on Wednesday.
Two of the nation's top half-court defenses set a slog-it-out pace, with open shots hard to find. Cincinnati led 27-26 after a back-and-forth first half that featured two ties, 10 lead changes and no lead of more than five points.
Oklahoma State missed nine consecutive shots — several from right under the basket — and two free throws during the Bearcats' 14-point run early in the second half. Field Williams had two 3-pointers as Cincinnati went ahead 41-28 and was never seriously challenged again.
Cincinnati gives up only 58.9 points per game, eighth in the nation, and Oklahoma State allows 60.3. Maxiell was the only player on either team who could score consistently.
With Oklahoma State's balky offense bogged down, Sutton went to a spread offense midway through the first half. It didn't work — Oklahoma State got three shot clock violations in the half, two out of the spread offense.
Huggins also tried a few different things. At one point, he went to a zone defense for one possession, then had his team switch back to man-to-man.
