Oklahoma State Offense Struggles in Season-Ending NIT Loss to North Texas
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Oklahoma State’s season is over after a disappointing offensive showing in the NIT.
OSU lost 61-59 to North Texas at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater on Tuesday. OSU shot only 41.8% from the field and could never find a rhythm offensively against the Mean Green.
OSU used a couple of steals and scores to get back within two with under a minute remaining. After OSU stopped North Texas to get the ball back, the offense sputtered and nearly ran out of time before Steve Lutz called a timeout with 0.7 seconds left. Brandon Newman got the ball and quickly put up a shot from 3-point range but couldn’t convert.
With 1:12 left in the game, North Texas extended its lead to eight thanks to an and-one. Getting the ball back, North Texas earned a couple of more chances at the stripe after Robert Jennings fouled Brenen Lorient to help push the lead to nine.
Trailing by seven with 1:35 left, Brandon Newman drove and earned a couple of free throws, but he split the pair to leave the Cowboys with a six-point deficit. On a night where OSU couldn’t afford any lapses offensively, seven missed free throws and 19 turnovers plagued the Pokes.
OSU’s Brandon Newman nailed a 3-pointer to put the Cowboys up 44-43 with 6:48 left. Atin Wright responded with a four-point lead to take the lead back and kickstart a North Texas run. The Mean Green used that play to start a 9-0 run that put North Texas in firm control.
Former Cowboy Rondel Walker saved the ball from going out of bounds on the defensive end before his teammate found him for a wide-open look from beyond the arc on the other end. Walker nailed the 3-pointer, his second of the night, to put North Texas up six with just under seven minutes left in the first half. His hustle and shooting from deep on that play was emblematic of his team’s performance for much of that half.
While the Mean Green managed to keep control for most of the first half, Arturo Dean sent OSU into halftime with some momentum. In the final seconds, Dean stole the ball and quickly sprinted down the floor and used a tough finish to avoid a trailing defender and send OSU to halftime trailing 27-22.
Both teams shot under 40% in the first half and neither team could find easy points at the line either. North Texas took the only two free throws of the half, with Brenen Lorient missing both, as the teams combined for only 10 fouls.
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.