Oklahoma State University Athletics
11th-Ranked Cowboys Host Mountaineers
January 24, 2014 | Cowboy Basketball
Jan. 24, 2014
#11 OKLAHOMA STATE
vs WEST VIRGINIA
Saturday, Jan. 25 • 1 pm
Gallagher-Iba Arena
Stillwater, Okla.
Television -- ESPN2
Jon Sciambi | play-by-play
Fran Fraschilla | analyst
Cox (OKC) -- 28
Cox (Tulsa) -- 26
Suddenlink -- 32
direcTV -- 209
Dish -- 144
U-Verse -- 606
Radio -- Cowboy Radio Network
Dave Hunziker | play-by-play
John Holcomb | analyst
Game notes vs West Virginia in PDF format
Game Information
Oklahoma State plays West Virginia for the second time in two weeks as the Cowboys host the Mountaineers on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 1 pm inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. The game will be televised on ESPN2, with Jon Sciambi handling the play-by-play duties and Fran Fraschilla providing expert analysis. OSU defeated WVU 73-72 in Morgantown, upping its series record to 4-1.
About Oklahoma State
The 11th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys are 15-3 overall this season and 3-2 in league play following an 80-78 loss at Kansas last Saturday. OSU is averaging 84.4 points per game this season with four players averaging double figures. Marcus Smart leads the scoring attack with 17.8 ppg, tops in the Big 12 Conference. Markel Brown is also among the league leaders, averaging 16.6 ppg, while Le'Bryan Nash (13.3 ppg) and Phil Forte (12.6 ppg) are both also averaging double figures.
OSU is shooting 48.4% from the floor, including 38.9% from beyond the arc. The Cowboys have a scoring margin of 19 points per game, leading the nation. They also have a league-leading +4.4 turnover margin. OSU's defense has allowed more than 75 points just twice this season, giving up 65.4 ppg, a 38.5% FG defense and 29.3% 3-point FG defense.
About West Virginia
West Virginia is 11-8 overall this season and 3-3 in Big 12 action following an 87-81 win over Texas Tech on Wednesday. The Mountaineers are led by a trio of double-figure scorers. Eron Harris leads the squad at 17.4 ppg while Juwan Staten is not far behind at 17.2 ppg. The pair is the second-leading scoring duo in the Big 12 behind OSU's Smart and Brown. Terry Henderson is chipping in 12.5 ppg, while Devin Williams is averaging 9.5 ppg and a team-high 7.6 rebounds per contest.
As a team, WVU is averaging 79 ppg with a +8.4 scoring margin. The Mountaineers are shooting 45.7% from the floor, including 38.5% from long range. They are coached by Bob Huggins, who is 144-83 (63.4%) in his seventh season as head coach at West Virginia.
Remember the 10
During Saturday's game, Oklahoma State will recognize and remember the 10 men associated with the Cowboy Basketball program who died in a plane crash on Jan. 27, 2001. Those 10 men were: Kendall Durfey, Bjorn Fahlstrom, Nate Fleming, Will Hancock, Daniel Lawson, Brian Luinstra, Denver Mills, Pat Noyes, Bill Teegins and Jared Weiberg.
A moment of silence will be observed prior to the game. At halftime, organizers of the annual "Remember The 10 Run" will donate race proceeds to OSU Counseling Services.
At 6:37 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 27, the OSU Library Carillon will once again toll 10 times in honor of each of those that have been lost.
Suits & Sneakers Weekend
Coaches vs. Cancer's Suits and SneakersTM Awareness Weekend, a collaborative initiative of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society, will take place Jan. 24-26, 2014. More than 4,000 high school and college men's basketball coaches, including OSU head coach Travis Ford and the Cowboy coaching staff, will swap their dress shoes for sneakers with their usual game attire during Saturday's contest against West Virginia to show their support for the American Cancer Society's fight to save lives from cancer. Fans can show their support by visiting ...
www.cancer.org/suitsandsneakers
Series History vs WVU
Oklahoma State leads the brief history with West Virginia 3-1, with all three victories coming in Big 12 Conference action. The Mountaineers' only win was a neutral-site matchup in Lexington, Ky., in 1958.
Last Time vs the Mountaineers
Morgantown (AP) -- Markel Brown's streak of eight-straight games scoring in double figures for Oklahoma State was in jeopardy - until he hit his final shot. Brown made a three-pointer with 11.9 seconds remaining to lift the 11th-ranked Cowboys to a 73-72 win over West Virginia.
Oklahoma State trailed for most of the game, but got solid efforts from its top two scorers in the final minutes. The game featured four of the top six scorers in the Big 12. Marcus Smart and Brown again came out on top over the Mountaineers' duo of Eron Harris and Juwan Staten after a Cowboys' season sweep a year ago.
Despite some foul trouble, Smart had 22 points and 13 rebounds to give him his second-straight double-double. Brown finished with 12 points. Staten finished with 20 points, but missed a pair of layups in the final 30 seconds.
Harris, the league's second-best scorer, was held to 11 points, more than seven below his average. Harris made just 3 of 11 shots. Devin Williams had 12 points and 13 rebounds for West Virginia, which saw its three-game winning streak snapped.
Oklahoma State gave up a season high for points in the first half for the third straight game, but took advantage of a pair of West Virginia turnovers and went on an 8-2 run to open the second half for its first lead 47-43 with 16:22 left.
Smart went to the bench with his third foul with 12:04 left, and the Cowboys did just fine without him. Oklahoma State went on a 7-0 run, with Brown stealing a pass from Brandon Watkins and dunking the ball uncontested for a 57-52 lead with 10:24 left.
Smart returned from the sideline after three minutes and kept the Cowboys' momentum going with a pair of free throws and a three-pointer.
West Virginia attempted just two free throws during its first-half run, but started getting free throws midway through the second half. The Mountaineers needed them because they made just one field goal over a 10-minute stretch after halftime.
Henderson broke the drought with a 3-pointer and Staten made a layup 32 seconds later to tie the score at 67-67 with 4:21 left. Each team made two field goals the rest of the game in a physical finish.
West Virginia set the tempo from the onset, leading by as many as eight in the first half before Oklahoma State got its act together with a 15-4 run to tie it. Williams' turnaround jumper with 2 seconds left put West Virginia ahead 41-39 at halftime.
OSU as a Ranked Team
Oklahoma State is 337-127 (72.6%) all time as a ranked team, including a 188-51 (78.7%) mark as a top-10 squad. OSU is 13-8 (61.9%) all-time as the No. 11 team in the country.
Up Next for OSU
Oklahoma State travels to Norman, Okla., for a Big Monday battle with Bedlam-rival Oklahoma at 8 pm on Jan. 27. The game will be televised on ESPN.
The Cowboys will host back-to-back home games following the Bedlam contest. OSU will host Baylor on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 1 pm in a game televised by ESPN. On Monday, Feb. 3, the Pokes will host Iowa State in a Big Monday matchup at 8 pm on ESPN.
