Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host Demons in Final Game of 2007
January 02, 2008 | Cowboy Basketball
vs. Northwestern State
Monday, Dec. 31 • 1 p.m.
Gallagher-Iba Arena • Stillwater, Okla.
Series History • OSU leads, 7-1
In Stillwater • OSU leads, 6-1
Last Meeting • Nov. 15, 2006
Outcome • OSU won, 79-76
Television — none
Radio — Cowboy Radio Network
Play-by-Play • Chad McKee
Analyst • Bryndon Manzer
Flagship Station — KSPI (93.7 FM)
internet — www.okstate.com
Quick Notes
• In the last 21 seasons, since 1987-88, the Cowboys have won 142 of their last 145 non-conference games inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. That’s good for a 97.9 winning percentage.
• Oklahoma State has not fared well following the Christmas break. The Cowboys have lost 11 of the last 23 games following the holiday break. The good news for OSU is that all 11 of those losses were away from Gallagher-Iba Arena.
• OSU is 40-5 (88.9 percent) all-time against teams from the Southland Conference, including a 7-1 mark vs. Northwestern State. The Pokes are 10-1 vs. Texas-Arlington following a 69-64 win over the Mavericks in their last outing), 6-1 against Lamar, 6-0 vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (played on Dec. 5), 4-0 against Texas-San Antonio (OSU’s opponent on Jan. 2), 3-0 vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 2-2 against Stephen F. Austin and 2-0 vs. Sam Houston State. The Cowboys have never played Central Arkansas, McNeese State, Nicholls State or Texas State.
• The current three-game span against Southland Conference foes (Texas-Arlington, Northwestern State and UTSA) is believed to be the first time in school history that Oklahoma State has played three consecutive games against non-conference opponents from the same league.
Series History with Northwestern State
• This will be the ninth meeting between these two schools, with Oklahoma State holding a 7-1 edge in the series.
• The only game in the series not played in Stillwater was on Dec. 16, 2000, when the game was held in Oklahoma City due to arena renovations.
• OSU’s average margin of victory in the first six games of the series was 27.7 points. However, NSU won a four-point game in 2005 and the Cowboys squeaked by with a three-point victory last season.
From Long Range
• Of OSU’s 646 shot attempts this season, 255 have been from beyond the three-point arc, or 39.5 percent.
• The highest percentage for a single season is 33.5 percent in 1998-99, when 643 of the Pokes’ 1,920 shots were from long range.
• The Cowboys attempted 34 three-point shots against North Texas, the most in school history.
• The previous record was 31 attempts from long range against Gonzaga in the All-College Classic in Oklahoma City on Dec. 28, 2004.
• As a team, Oklahoma State has attempted 30 or more shots from beyond the arc on four occasions all-time, including twice this season (34 at North Texas, 32 vs. East Tennessee State).
• On the flip side, OSU limited Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to just 1-of-18 shots from three-point range, establishing a Gallagher-Iba Arena record with at least 10 attempts. The previous low was 1-of-17 by Baylor on Jan. 20, 1999.
Pick Pockets
• Oklahoma State had 18 steals during the Prairie View A&M game, the second most in school history. The Pokes had 12 at halftime, establishing a school record for steals in a single period.
• The Cowboys are currently averaging 10 steals per contest. The school record is nine thefts per game, set during the 1988-89 season.
Eaton Moving up Steals Chart
• Byron Eaton has recorded 148 steals in his three-year career at OSU.
• With three at Pittsburgh, he moved past Doug Gottlieb and into the top-10 in school history.
• The Dallas, Texas, native is also just the fifth Cowboy in school history to have at least 10 games with four or more steals.
• The all-time career record at Oklahoma State is 170 steals set by Ivan McFarlin from 2001-05.
• Only six other Cowboys have ever recorded 250 assists and 150 steals in a career.
Dove Swatting Shots
• Senior Marcus Dove has 72 career blocked shots, ranking him with the 10th-most in school history.
• He needs two more blocks to pass Andrew Jones for ninth place on the school list.
• Dove has blocked four shots on two occasions, most recently vs. Northwestern State on Nov. 15, 2006.
• Only four previous Cowboys have blocked at least 75 shots and recorded at least 100 steals in a career. Dove has 72 and 105, respectively.
Freshman Phenom
• Freshman guard James Anderson is 11 games into his collegiate career and has shown that he could potentially be one of the best players to ever come through Stillwater.
• In his first official game in an OSU uniform, Anderson scored a game-high 29 points, tying the school record for most points by a freshman. Byron Houston had 29 against Kansas State on Jan. 25, 1989.
• Anderson’s 29 points were also the fourth-most by any Cowboy in a season opener, regardless of class.
• He scored more than 20 points in three consecutive games. The school record for a freshman is four, set by Richard Dumas.
Forcing Turnovers
• Oklahoma State has forced 229 turnovers this season, an average of nearly 21 per game. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have committed just over 16 miscues per game, a +4.73 turnover margin.
• The highest turnover margin for a single season in school history occurred during the 1997-98 season, when OSU had a +3.52 turnover margin.
OSU in the Big 12 Statistical Rankings
• Oklahoma State ranks in the Big 12’s top five in five statistical categories.
• The Cowboys lead in the league in free-throw shooting at 73 percent.
• OSU is third the league in steals, averaging 10 thefts per game. Kansas leads the conference at 11.5 steals per game, while Missouri is second at 10.5 steals per contest.
• The Pokes are also third in the Big 12 in turnover margin at +4.73. The Jayhawks are first at +7.08 and the Tigers are second at +6.92.
• Oklahoma State is third in three-pointers made per game, averaging 8.18 treys per contest. Baylor leads the league at 9.82 per game, while Texas is second at 8.31 per contest.
• OSU is fourth in offensive rebounding, averaging 12.55 offensive boards per contest.
• Individually, freshman James Anderson ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 17.2 points per game. He also ranks third in three-point field goals made per game at 2.55, is fifth in three-point percentage at 43.1 percent and sixth in free-throw percentage (78.9 percent).
• Junior guard Byron Eaton leads the Big 12 with his 84.1 free-throw shooting percentage, and is tied for third in the conference in steals, averaging 2.45 per contest. He is tied with teammate Marcus Dove who also has 27 steals in 11 games. Eaton is also ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2-to-1.
• Terrel Harris ranks eighth and Dove and Anderson are tied for 10th in the Big 12 for minutes played per game. They’re all averaging between 32 and 33 minutes per contest.
