3 Takeaways from OSU's Big Win Over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
In this story:
Oklahoma State secured its fourth win of the season, but it wasn’t always easy.
OSU beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 85-69 on Sunday in Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. After an up-and-down first half, the Cowboys eventually settled into the game after halftime to gain some separation.
Against Steve Lutz’s former team, the Cowboys didn’t have the most polished performance, but it was still enough to get a win.
Three takeaways from the Cowboys’ win over the Islanders:
Anthony Roy gives a glimpse
After missing the first three games of the season, the Cowboys’ biggest portal get of the offseason returned from injury against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. After coming to Stillwater as one of the nation’s most prolific scorers, Roy showed a little of what could make him the Cowboys’ star this season.
Checking in off the bench a few minutes into the contest, Roy put eight points on the board in the first half before finishing with 15. Although it wasn’t the best performance for the Green Bay transfer, Roy’s first action of the season should be an encouraging sign of things to come over the next few months.
Cowboys’ 3-point shooting woes continue
Coming into Sunday’s matchup, the Cowboys had shot only 31.6% from deep on the season. While OSU had made only 24 of its 76 attempts across the first three games, it was mostly masked by holding its opponents to 26.8% from deep.
However, in a closer contest against the Islanders, the outside shooting issues were on full display. Through the first 20 minutes of action, OSU had only one make from beyond the arc on 12 tries. Although the Cowboys were able to nail some more looks from deep in the second half, a 5-of-24 performance from beyond the arc is still far from ideal.
Cowboys could have a serious home-court advantage this season
While the crowd inside Gallagher-Iba Arena wasn’t exactly the rowdiest, it was a solid turnout for a Sunday afternoon contest against a team like Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. While OSU steadily built up the lead in the second half, the largest crowd pops typically came when a Cowboy made a big defensive play or hustled for a loose ball.
Considering those are the things that Lutz wants to see define this team, it’s a good sign that the crowd is on the same page. With conference play on the horizon, having a legitimate advantage when playing at home could be the difference for the Cowboys.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.