Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys face UAB Blazers
December 27, 2005 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State (8-3)
at UAB (6-3)
Wednesday, December 28, 2005 • 6:30 p.m.
Bartow Arena [8,500] • Birmingham, Ala.
Television — ESPN2
Play-by-Play • Dave Revsine
Analyst • Doug Gottlieb
Stillwater
Cox Communications Ch. 32
Heartland Wireless Ch. 38
Oklahoma City
Cox Communications Ch. 28
Tulsa
Cox Communications Ch. 26
Radio — Cowboy Sports Network
Dave Hunziker & Tom Dirato
Flagship Station - KSPI 93.7 FM (Stillwater)
internet - www.okstate.com
Cowboys Face Blazers
Following a brief break for the holidays, OSU returned to the practice court on Monday in preparation for the Cowboys’ game in Birmingham, Ala., against the UAB Blazers. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. inside Bartow Arena, and the game will be televised by espn2. The Cowboys are 8-3 this season and coming off their biggest win of the season, an 89-73 victory over 23rd-ranked Tennessee in the All-College Classic on Dec. 22. UAB is 6-3 overall this season and coming off an 85-57 win over Old Dominion on Dec. 22. The game is a return trip for the Blazers’ coming to Stillwater last season, the first meeting between these two schools. Oklahoma State won that game 86-73 on Dec. 10 inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
On Television
Wednesday’s game will be televised nationally on espn2. Dave Revsine will handle the play-by-play duties, while former Cowboy Doug Gottlieb will provide colorful commentary. This will be OSU’s second true nationally televised game of the season, and the second of three games on espn2. OSU is 9-2 all-time in games broadcast on the deuce. The Cowboys’ game against Texas A&M on January 11 will also be televised on espn2.
Last Time Out
David Monds recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Pete Maravich game as the Cowboys defeated No. 23 Tennessee 89-73 in the All-College Classic. JamesOn Curry and Byron Eaton shared team honors with 16 points each, while Mario Boggan added 14 for the Pokes. OSU was on fire in the first half and took a 16-point lead into the lockerroom against the Vols, 42-26. Tennessee came out charging in the second half and cut OSU’s lead to one at 67-66 with nine minutes remaining in the game. The Cowboys built the lead back up to 10 thanks to eight points by Eaton and OSU went into the holiday break with a victory.
About the Blazers
UAB is 6-3 overall this season and on a two-game winning streak with victories over Centenary and Old Dominion at home. The Blazers’ lost to Western Kentucky 92-76 at home, while their other two losses — 70-66 vs. DePaul and 69-68 vs. Minnesota — have both come on the road. UAB defeated the Big 12’s Nebraska 73-72 in Lincoln. The Blazers are led by senior forward Demario Eddins who is averaging 14 poitns and 4.1 rebounds per game. Senior guard Marvett McDonald (13.8 points per game) and junior guard Wen Mukubu (10.8 ppg) are also averaging in double figures. The leading rebounder is sophomore forward Frank Holmes who is averaging six boards per contest. Senior guard Carldell Johnson leads teh team with 54 assists in nine games. Eight of UAB’s top-11 scorers are either juniors or seniors. Mike Anderson is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Blazers and brings with him a 71-37 record into the game with Oklahoma State.
Last Time Against UAB
Oklahoma State had six players score in double figures, including 20 points by Joey Graham, as the Cowboys defeated the Blazers 86-73 last season in Stillwater. John Lucas added 18 points for the Pokes while Daniel Bobik chipped in 14. Ivan McFarlin, Stephen Graham and JamesOn Curry each scored 10 for OSU. The Cowboys shot 51.9 percent from the floor, including 7-of-15 from long range, while limiting UAB to just 34.8 shooting from the floor (6-of-20 from three-point range). David Monds and Marcus Dove both played sparingly in that game. Current Blazers who saw significant playing time in that contest include: Demario Eddins (nine points, four rebounds), Carldell Johnson (three points, three assists), Marvett McDonald (seven points), and Richard Jones (11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists).
OSU in the Big 12 Statistics
Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 Conference in field goal percentage, shooting 50.7 percent from the floor. Colorado is second at 49 percent. The Cowboys are second in free-throw percentage at 73.8 percent. Individually, Byron Eaton leads all players in the league in steals, averaging 2.6 per game. JamesOn Curry is third in assists, averaging 5.2 per contest. Mario Boggan is fourth in field goal percentage at 60.9 percent.
From the Line
As a team, the Cowboys are currently shooting 73.8 percent from the free-throw line, ranking among the top seasons in school history. Nine of the 11 players that see regular court time are shooting 70 percent or better from the floor. Only JamesOn Curry (66.7 percent) and Torre Johnson (63.3 percent) are shooting below 70 percent. Both Kenny Cooper (8-of-8) and Terrel Harris (4-of-4) are perfect from the line. Marcus Dove is shooting 85.7 percent (18 of 21), while Roderick Flemings has connected on 16 of 20 (80 percent) from the charity stripe. Byron Eaton has made 26 of 33, good for 78.8 percent, while both Mario Boggan is shooting 30 of 42 (71.4) from the line and David Monds is 27 of 38 (71.1) from the charity stripe.
Post Players Shooting Well
Oklahoma State has four post players averaging at least 20 minutes of playing time per game. They are all playing 20-25 minutes per game. All four of those players — Mario Boggan, Torre Johnson, David Monds and Marcus Dove — are shooting at least 55 percent from the floor. Dove also plays on the wing, but sees significant action down low. Here is a look at their shooting averages:
Curry from Long Range
Cowboy sophomore JamesOn Curry has found his touch from beyond the three-point arc. This season, he is shooting 44.7 percent from long range, connecting on 21 of his 47 attempts from beyond the arc. He has hit at least one three pointer in eight games this season and has made multiple treys on six occasions. His career high is six, which he matched against Mercer. Curry ranks among the Big 12 leaders in both three-pointers made (1.91 per game) and three-point percentage.
Cowboys Racking up Weekly Honors
For the fourth time in six weeks, a Cowboy has won one of the Big 12 Conference’s weekly awards. For the week ending Dec. 25, David Monds was named the Big 12’s Player of the Week. He recorded his first-career double-double with 15 points and 11 reboudns in OSU’s win over 23rd-ranked Tennessee. It was the second-straight week that a Cowboy has won the Player of the Week honor. JamesOn Curry was named the POW for the period ending Dec. 18. That same week, Byron Eaton was named the Rookie of the Week. It was first time since Dec. 2, 2002, that the Player and Rookie of the Week came from the same team. That week, Bernard King and Antoine Wright of Texas A&M won the awards. Cowboys Mario Boggan and Torre Johnson have also been named Rookie of the Week this season.
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