Oklahoma State University Athletics
Tuesday, December 15
Stillwater, OK
8 p.m.
Oklahoma State University
vs
Longwood
Photo by Josh Jurgens
Cowboy Hoops Bringing Momentum Into Matchup With Longwood
December 14, 2015 | Cowboy Basketball
Game Center
• Oklahoma State (6-3, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Longwood (3-7, 0-1 Big South)
• Dec. 15, 2015 • 8 p.m. Central
• Stillwater, Okla. • Gallagher-Iba Arena
• ESPNU (Dave Armstrong & Bryndon Manzer)
• Cowboy Radio Network
• Live Stats: Okstate.Statbroadcast.com
• Tickets: OkState.com or 877-ALL-4-OSU
• Game Notes
STILLWATER – It was anyone's game with two minutes to play on Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Only two points separated Oklahoma State and Minnesota, who had just gotten a bucket to trim the Cowboy lead to 56-54.
OSU needed someone to make a play. That's exactly what happened when freshman point guard Jawun Evans found sophomore forward Mitchell Solomon cutting to the basket from the baseline. Solomon emphatically dunked the ball over Gopher freshman Jordan Murphy, and ignited the arena and the OSU bench.
That much-needed dunk, and two free throw makes from Evans with 13 seconds on the clock, helped the Cowboys seal the victory.
"We certainly needed a win, and to go on the road into Big Ten country and win the way we did was certainly a positive sign for this team," said head coach Travis Ford. "Mitchell Solomon influenced the game in a positive way, and I'm really proud of the way he stepped in, especially on the offensive end of the floor."
OSU will hope that momentum carries over into Tuesday's contest with Longwood, which will be televised on ESPN at 8 p.m. Central.
The Basics
• The Oklahoma State men's basketball team (6-3 overall; 0-0 Big 12) returns to Gallagher-Iba Arena after a victorious trip to Sioux Falls, S.D. to take on Minnesota. Of the 32 Division I conferences in the country, the Cowboys have faced at least one current member of each of league with the exception of the Big South Conference. That will change Tuesday, when the Longwood Lancers (3-7, 0-1 Big South) come to Stillwater.
On the Air
• The Cowboys will make their third appearance on ESPNU this season. OSU is 27-14 all-time on the network that launched from Gallagher-Iba Arena on March 4, 2005. Dave Armstrong and Bryndon Manzer will be on the call. As always, the game can be heard on the Cowboy Radio Network with Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb.
Oklahoma State From a Distance
• The Cowboys made the key plays down the stretch to take down Minnesota, 62-60. Jawun Evans posted eight points and eight assists, none bigger than his no-look dish to Mitchell Solomon for a baseline dunk with 1:32 remaining. Evans also hit a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left that gave OSU a five-point lead.
• The Cowboys field a solid defensive unit that ranks 41st nationally in field goal percentage defense (38.5 percent) and 73rd in the country in scoring defense at 65.8 points allowed per game. OSU's interior defense ranks 30th in the country with 5.6 blocked shots per game.
• OSU has a knack for getting to the free throw line, and making opponents pay from the charity stripe. The Cowboys are fourth in the Big 12 in total free throws made (159) and lead the league and rank 11th nationally with a free throw mark of 77.2 percent. Jeff Newberry, who has made 17 straight free throws, leads OSU's efforts from the stripe with a mark of 87.8 percent, which ranks fifth in the Big 12 and 47th in the country.
• Senior Phil Forte injured his elbow in the first half of the win over Towson, which snapped his streak of consecutive games played at 102. The senior hadn't missed a single game in his career up to that point. Forte was a Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honoree, and needs just 55 three-pointers to tie Keiton Page (2008-12) for the school record.
• The Cowboys were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 in a poll of the league's head coaches after finishing the 2014-15 season with an 18-14 record. Last year, the Cowboys were tabbed to finish eighth but finished the 2014-15 season in sixth place.
• Head coach Travis Ford enters his eighth season with the Cowboys, and ranks third in school history in both total wins (149) and win percentage (61.3 percent). Ford ranks behind only Eddie Sutton and Mr. Henry Iba in both categories.
Longwood From A Distance
• Longwood, which joined Division I in 2012-13, comes to Stillwater with a 3-7 record, having lost three straight and seven of their last eight games. On Saturday night, the Richmond Spiders took down the Lancers, 77-59. Kanayo Obi-Rapu led Longwood with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting, but Richmond turned 19 Lancer turnovers into 27 points and led by as much as 29 with 10:36 to play.
• Two of the country's top free throw units will face off when the Cowboys and Lancers take the court. OSU ranks 11th in the country with a clip of 77.2 percent from the stripe, while Longwood isn't far behind in 26th place with a mark of 75.0 percent. Lotanna Nwogbo ranks 13th in the country with 75 free throw attempts so far, while Leron Fisher is their best shooter from the line at 81.8 percent (27-of-33).
• The Lancers were tabbed to finish sixth in the Big South Conference preseason coaches poll after an 11-23 record and a ninth place finish in 2014-15. High Point and Coastal Carolina entered 2015-16 as the league favorites with 17 and 10 first-place votes, respectively.
• Senior Lotanna Nwogbo was a second-team Preseason All-Big South selection, and has combined with Kanayo Obi-Rapu to lead the Lancers' offense. Obi-Rapu is hitting 3.4 3-pointers per game this year, which ranks 19th in the nation, and his 15.4 points per game leads the squad. Nwogbo has two double-doubles this year, and is averaging 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
• The Lancers are led by head coach Jayson Gee, who is in his third season at the helm. Gee is a 26-year coaching veteran with six NCAA Tournament appearances on his resume, and was named among the nation's top 10 assistant coaches at Cleveland State by BleacherReport.com before his appointment at Longwood. He also coached at St. Bonaventure (2003-06), Ohio (1993-96), Youngstown State (1989-93) and was the head coach at his alma mater, Division II Charleston (1996-2003).
• The Lancers have experienced success against the Big 12. The biggest upset in school history is an 82-79 win over TCU in Fort Worth in 2013.
• Oklahoma State (6-3, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Longwood (3-7, 0-1 Big South)
• Dec. 15, 2015 • 8 p.m. Central
• Stillwater, Okla. • Gallagher-Iba Arena
• ESPNU (Dave Armstrong & Bryndon Manzer)
• Cowboy Radio Network
• Live Stats: Okstate.Statbroadcast.com
• Tickets: OkState.com or 877-ALL-4-OSU
• Game Notes
STILLWATER – It was anyone's game with two minutes to play on Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Only two points separated Oklahoma State and Minnesota, who had just gotten a bucket to trim the Cowboy lead to 56-54.
OSU needed someone to make a play. That's exactly what happened when freshman point guard Jawun Evans found sophomore forward Mitchell Solomon cutting to the basket from the baseline. Solomon emphatically dunked the ball over Gopher freshman Jordan Murphy, and ignited the arena and the OSU bench.
That much-needed dunk, and two free throw makes from Evans with 13 seconds on the clock, helped the Cowboys seal the victory.
"We certainly needed a win, and to go on the road into Big Ten country and win the way we did was certainly a positive sign for this team," said head coach Travis Ford. "Mitchell Solomon influenced the game in a positive way, and I'm really proud of the way he stepped in, especially on the offensive end of the floor."
OSU will hope that momentum carries over into Tuesday's contest with Longwood, which will be televised on ESPN at 8 p.m. Central.
The Basics
• The Oklahoma State men's basketball team (6-3 overall; 0-0 Big 12) returns to Gallagher-Iba Arena after a victorious trip to Sioux Falls, S.D. to take on Minnesota. Of the 32 Division I conferences in the country, the Cowboys have faced at least one current member of each of league with the exception of the Big South Conference. That will change Tuesday, when the Longwood Lancers (3-7, 0-1 Big South) come to Stillwater.
On the Air
• The Cowboys will make their third appearance on ESPNU this season. OSU is 27-14 all-time on the network that launched from Gallagher-Iba Arena on March 4, 2005. Dave Armstrong and Bryndon Manzer will be on the call. As always, the game can be heard on the Cowboy Radio Network with Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb.
Oklahoma State From a Distance
• The Cowboys made the key plays down the stretch to take down Minnesota, 62-60. Jawun Evans posted eight points and eight assists, none bigger than his no-look dish to Mitchell Solomon for a baseline dunk with 1:32 remaining. Evans also hit a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left that gave OSU a five-point lead.
• The Cowboys field a solid defensive unit that ranks 41st nationally in field goal percentage defense (38.5 percent) and 73rd in the country in scoring defense at 65.8 points allowed per game. OSU's interior defense ranks 30th in the country with 5.6 blocked shots per game.
• OSU has a knack for getting to the free throw line, and making opponents pay from the charity stripe. The Cowboys are fourth in the Big 12 in total free throws made (159) and lead the league and rank 11th nationally with a free throw mark of 77.2 percent. Jeff Newberry, who has made 17 straight free throws, leads OSU's efforts from the stripe with a mark of 87.8 percent, which ranks fifth in the Big 12 and 47th in the country.
• Senior Phil Forte injured his elbow in the first half of the win over Towson, which snapped his streak of consecutive games played at 102. The senior hadn't missed a single game in his career up to that point. Forte was a Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honoree, and needs just 55 three-pointers to tie Keiton Page (2008-12) for the school record.
• The Cowboys were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 in a poll of the league's head coaches after finishing the 2014-15 season with an 18-14 record. Last year, the Cowboys were tabbed to finish eighth but finished the 2014-15 season in sixth place.
• Head coach Travis Ford enters his eighth season with the Cowboys, and ranks third in school history in both total wins (149) and win percentage (61.3 percent). Ford ranks behind only Eddie Sutton and Mr. Henry Iba in both categories.
Longwood From A Distance
• Longwood, which joined Division I in 2012-13, comes to Stillwater with a 3-7 record, having lost three straight and seven of their last eight games. On Saturday night, the Richmond Spiders took down the Lancers, 77-59. Kanayo Obi-Rapu led Longwood with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting, but Richmond turned 19 Lancer turnovers into 27 points and led by as much as 29 with 10:36 to play.
• Two of the country's top free throw units will face off when the Cowboys and Lancers take the court. OSU ranks 11th in the country with a clip of 77.2 percent from the stripe, while Longwood isn't far behind in 26th place with a mark of 75.0 percent. Lotanna Nwogbo ranks 13th in the country with 75 free throw attempts so far, while Leron Fisher is their best shooter from the line at 81.8 percent (27-of-33).
• The Lancers were tabbed to finish sixth in the Big South Conference preseason coaches poll after an 11-23 record and a ninth place finish in 2014-15. High Point and Coastal Carolina entered 2015-16 as the league favorites with 17 and 10 first-place votes, respectively.
• Senior Lotanna Nwogbo was a second-team Preseason All-Big South selection, and has combined with Kanayo Obi-Rapu to lead the Lancers' offense. Obi-Rapu is hitting 3.4 3-pointers per game this year, which ranks 19th in the nation, and his 15.4 points per game leads the squad. Nwogbo has two double-doubles this year, and is averaging 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
• The Lancers are led by head coach Jayson Gee, who is in his third season at the helm. Gee is a 26-year coaching veteran with six NCAA Tournament appearances on his resume, and was named among the nation's top 10 assistant coaches at Cleveland State by BleacherReport.com before his appointment at Longwood. He also coached at St. Bonaventure (2003-06), Ohio (1993-96), Youngstown State (1989-93) and was the head coach at his alma mater, Division II Charleston (1996-2003).
• The Lancers have experienced success against the Big 12. The biggest upset in school history is an 82-79 win over TCU in Fort Worth in 2013.
Players Mentioned
PG
/ Cowboy Basketball
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/ Cowboy Basketball
F
/ Cowboy BasketballThe Changing Face of College Athletics - Inside OSU Athletics with Chad Weiberg
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