Oklahoma State Falls at UCF, Finishes Winless in Big 12 Road Games
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The Cowboys officially finished without a road win in Big 12 play.
Oklahoma State fell to UCF 83-70 at Financial Addition Arena in Orlando on Wednesday. After winning the first matchup against the Knights, the Cowboys couldn’t overcome their road woes in the rematch.
Darius Johnson went off for the Knights in the second half to get the advantage over the Cowboys. After scoring a modest nine points in the first 20 minutes, Johnson finished with 36 points and dominated the Cowboys throughout the second half.
After an early 7-0 run helped OSU push the lead to 10 in the second half, the Knights began to swing momentum in their favor. A couple of 8-0 UCF runs throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half pushed UCF into the lead. While OSU kept the game close up to that point, three 3-pointers from UCF for an extended 9-0 run put the game seemingly out of reach for the Cowboys with only six minutes remaining.
Although OSU couldn’t fully replicate its first-half scoring from the first matchup against UCF, it still managed to put up an impressive 40 points. However, its defensive effort looked like much of the same from the first game, allowing 35 points and taking only a five-point lead into the locker room.
In getting to 40 points in the first half, the Cowboys were aided by Brandon Newman’s performance off the bench. Newman scored 13 points in the first half, nailing three shots from beyond the arc and adding four free throws.
OSU won its first two road games, beating Seton Hall and Tulsa in the nonconference slate, but the Cowboys were unable to get a win away from home in Big 12 play. Although the Cowboys struggled to get a win in Big 12 play on the road, their overall performance was enough to show some progress from last season’s 4-14 mark.
Although OSU finished without a road win in 10 tries in conference play, it has six victories on its home floor and will get to finish the regular season at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday when it hosts Cincinnati.
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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.