© Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports
Cowboys Get First Road Win, 73-54 Over Charleston
On a day that Oklahoma State won at recruiting, signing No. 2 overall prospect Cade Cunningham, the Pokes picked up their first road win of the season with a 73-54 win over Charleston.
It took him a few games to heat up, but senior Thomas Dziagwa led both sides with 21 points. His hot night came on a barrage from 3-point range. In a career-high tying amount, Dziagwa finished 7-of-10 from beyond the 3-point arch.
Those buckets came rather evenly distributed between both halves, four coming in the first half, and three of those coming in the final three minutes of the first half. He was instrumental in Oklahoma State's run at the end of the first half as they finished on 5-of-6 shooting to tie it up at 30.
Entering the game, Dziagwa had made just two out of five 3-point attempts in the first two games of the season.
"I told him the other day that if you stop shooting, then we're going to have a problem," said Mike Boynton on the Cowboy Radio Network. "Obviously, he has a lot of confidence in himself and it was good to see as, I think, he missed his first [3-point shot], and then made seven out of the next nine. So, that's what he does; he makes an impact on the back, but I thought staying engaged defensively is what got him into tonight. He wasn't really concerned with missing shots as much as continuing to help his team."
Fouls would quickly become an issue for Oklahoma State. In the first 21 minutes of the game, they had been called for 12. It sent Charleston to the line where they sank 9-of-10 from the line, compared to just 0-of-1 for Oklahoma State.
On the rest of the game, the Pokes would tighten their play up and be called for just three more fouls.
Big man Yor Anei picked up two quick fouls within in the first five minutes of action, forcing freshman Kalib Boone into action much sooner that Mike Boynton would’ve liked.
But the freshman played very well as he scored six points on 3-of-4 shooting with two rebounds, and block and a steal. The only downside was that he was called for three fouls before the end of the half. He would finish the game with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting with two assists and three rebounds.
Anei would finish with six points on 3-of-4 shooting with four rebounds and three fouls, with one being a technical.
"[That run] was actually led by some of out bench guys," Mike Boynton said on the Cowboy Radio Network. "Yor [Anei] in foul trouble, Lindy [Waters'] picked up a couple, so we needed some guys off the bench, and I think our depth really, really showed today. We've been talking about having guys that are not only capable, but are ready for the opportunity is presented. Chris Harris was terrific in the first half, Avery [Anderson] gave us some good minutes in both halves and Kalib Boone was really good as well."
Once the Pokes got into rhythm, the game was all but over. They held Charleston to just 34 percent shooting from the field, and 15 percent from 3-point range. They also out-rebounded the Cougars 34-29.
This is a huge win for Oklahoma State, not just because it was a huge road win in a rough environment, but it was a great experience game for the Pokes' freshmen.
The Pokes will be back in action this coming Sunday as they'll host Yale in an NIT Season Tip-Off game. Tip is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT and will be streamed on ESPN+.
