Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys to Compete in Las Vegas Holiday Invitational
November 23, 2005 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State (3-0)
at the Las Vegas Invitational
vs. TCU (1-1)
Friday, November 25, 2005 • 9:30 p.m.
vs. Boston College (3-0)/Drake (2-0)
Saturday, November 26, 2005 • 7/9:30 p.m.
Valley High School [2,000] • Las Vegas, Nev.
Radio — Cowboy Sports Network
Dave Hunziker & Tom Dirato
Flagship Station - KSPI 93.7 FM (Stillwater)
internet - www.okstate.com
Cowboys Travel to Las Vegas
Oklahoma State travels to Las Vegas, Nev., on Thursday to compete in the semifinals and finals of the Las Vegas Holiday Invitational. The Cowboys are 3-0 overall this season, and 2-0 in the first two rounds of the Invitational. The first two rounds were played in Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. The Cowboys defeated Jackson State 94-53 on Sunday and beat Detroit 90-56 on Tuesday. OSU will play TCU on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. Central). The Pokes will face either Boston College or Drake on Saturday at either 5 or 7:30 p.m. (7 or 9:30 p.m. Central). The games will be played at Valley High School, which is a change from earlier schedules.
Last Time at Valley High
This is not the first time Oklahoma State has played at Valley High School in Las Vegas. The Cowboys played in the 2001 Las Vegas Invitational, played at the same facility. In fact, OSU defeated TCU — Friday’s opponent — in the championship game of the event 95-77 in 2001. The Cowboys are 3-0 at Valley High School, having also defeated Providence 83-65 and Siena College 82-64 in 2001 en route to the title. Oklahoma State had defeated Austin Peay 81-58 in the first round in Gallagher-Iba Arena, giving the Pokes a 5-0 record so far in all Las Vegas Invitationals.
Last Time Out
Sophomore JamesOn Curry recorded the first double-double of his collegiate career with 16 points and 10 assists and the Cowboys ran away with a 90-56 win over Detroit Tuesday night inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. Torre Johnson scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting coming off the bench, while the post duo of Mario Boggan and David Monds chipped in 14 and 13 points, respectively. Oklahoma State shot 60.4 percent as a team, and had 26 assists on 32 made baskets. The Cowboys had just two turnovers at halftime and finished the game with eight. Curry, Byron Eaton and Jamaal Brown combined for 20 assists and just three turnovers. Defensively, OSU forced 18 Detroit turnovers and held the Titans to just 25 percent shooting from beyond the three-point line. UDM’s Brandon Cotton had a game-high 18 points.
Postgame Notes From Detroit Game
• Oklahoma State’s 60.4 percent shooting from the floor vs. Detroit is the highest average the Cowboys have shot since the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi game last season, a span of 25 games.
• The Cowboys shot 7-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc, the highest percentage with a minimum of 10 attempts since Jan. 8, 2002, when OSU connected on 9-of-12 treys vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
• Sophomore guard JamesOn Curry dished out a career-high 10 assists vs. Detroit. He also scored 16 points, recording his first collegiate double-double.
• OSU’s 61.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line is the lowest for the Cowboys since Nov. 23 of last year, when the Pokes were 13-of-27 (48.1 percent) from the charity stripe against Arkansas-Little Rock. That’s a span of 34 games.
Boggan Named Big 12 Rookie of the Week
Cowboy junior Mario Boggan has been named the Big 12 Conference’s Rookie of the Week, it was announced Monday, for the week ending Nov. 20. In two games, Boggan averaged 18 points while shooting 68.2 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the free-throw line. He also averaged 7.5 rebounds per contest. A preseason co-Newcomer of the Year in a vote of the league coaches, Boggan has started both OSU games and is averaging nearly 25 minutes per contest. He scored 18 points in each game vs. Texas-Arlington and Jackson State.
Starting the Season off Right
Oklahoma State is 48-5 (.906) in the month of November under Coach Eddie Sutton, including a 32-1 (.970) mark in the last eight seasons. That lone loss was to the College of Charleston at the 2002 Great Alaska Shootout. In fact, three of the five losses in November under Sutton have come at the Great Alaska Shootout. OSU lost twice in the 1994 event.
Balanced Attack
In just three games this season, Oklahoma State has had 14 double-figure scoring games. Yet, no player has scored more than 18 points in a single game. That’s quite a balanced attack. On the perimeter, guard JamesOn Curry has had three double-figure scoring games, while wing player Roderick Flemings has had two and guard Byron Eaton has had one. In the post, Mario Boggan has had three double-figure scoring games, while David Monds and Torre Johnson have had two each and Kenny Cooper has had one. OSU has seven players averaging at least six points per game.
About the Horned Frogs
TCU is 1-1 this season with a 68-59 loss in the season opener to Tarleton State, the top-ranked team in NCAA Division II and a 76-74 win over Jackson State on Tuesday night. The Horned Frogs are led by Nile Murry who is averaging 16.5 points in two games, including 19 vs. Tarleton State. TCU is coached by Neil Dougherty.
Series vs. TCU
Oklahoma State is 16-2 all-time vs. the TCU Horned Frogs, including a 5-0 mark since Coach Eddie Sutton’s return to Stillwater. The last meeting between these two schools came just over four years ago when they met on this exact same floor at Valley High School. OSU defeated TCU 95-77 in the championship game of the Las Vegas Invitational. Since that first game during the 1917-18 season when Oklahoma State won 48-22, the Cowboys only two losses have come in a 37-16 loss at home during the 1924-25 season and again on Dec. 26, 1986, when TCU defeated the Pokes 92-61 in the All-College Tournament in Oklahoma City. Coach Sutton is 29-2 all-time vs. TCU, including a 24-2 mark while coaching at Arkansas in the Southwest Conference. A complete look at the series can be found on pages 4-60 of the 2005-06 Oklahoma State Cowboy Basketball Media Guide.
About the Bulldogs
Drake is 2-0 this season with a 69-61 win over Detroit and an 85-36 victory over Shawnee State. The Bulldogs are led by junior forward Ajay Calvin, a transfer from Butler County CC. He is averaging 13 points in two games, including 16 vs. Shawnee State. The Bulldogs are coached by Tom Davis.
Series vs. Drake
Oklahoma State owns a 40-11 record all-time against the Drake Bulldogs. 48 of those games were played while both teams were a part of the Missouri Valley Conference between 1925 and 1957. The last time these two teams played was on Dec. 22, 1962, when OSU handed Drake a 61-59 loss in the Long Beach Tournament in Long Beach, Calif. A complete look at the series can be found on pages 4-58 and 4-59 of the 2005-06 Oklahoma State Cowboy Basketball Media Guide.
About the Eagles
Boston College is 3-0 this season with an 80-61 season-opening win over Dartmouth, a 70-51 victory over Shawnee State, and a 92-63 win over Buffalo. The Eagles are ranked No. 10 nationally in both the Associated Press poll and the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll. BC is led by junior forward Jared Dudley who is averaging 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Senior forward Craig Smith is averaging 16 points and 8.7 boards per contest. The Eagles are coached by Al Skinner.
Series vs. Boston College
OSU and Boston College have never met on the hardwood.
