Cowboys rout Sam Houston State behind record-shooting performance
STILLWATER — Bryce Thompson and Javon Small each hit four of Oklahoma State’s school-record tying 17 three-point field goals in an 85-70 win over Sam Houston State on Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
STILLWATER — Bryce Thompson and Javon Small each hit four of Oklahoma State’s school-record tying 17 three-point field goals in an 85-70 win over Sam Houston State on Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
After making just 5-of-23 from deep in a seasonopening loss to Abilene Christian, the Cowboys (1-1) connected on 17-of-33 (.515) to equal the program mark, set Feb. 27, 2019 at Texas Tech.
Bryce Thompson nailed 4-of-5 attempts on his way to a game-high 17 points.
Small, who was unavailable for the opener due to injury, bagged 4-of-7 in his OSU debut. The East Carolina transfer also handed out five assists with just one turnover.
John-Michael Wright added 14 points in 22 minutes.
Sam Houston State’s Davon Barnes scored nine of his team-high 16 points in the first five minutes of the game to spot the Bearkats (1-1) to an early 13-6 advantage.
The Cowboys started 2-of-7 from 3-point range but connected on 15-of-26 the rest of the way, beginning with back-to-back Justin McBride triples.
Brandon Garrison’s lay-up with 3:50 to play in the half gave OSU the lead for good and set off an 11-1 push that helped send the hosts into halftime with a 38-30 advantage.
Small scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to help bust the game open. In more than a 66-second stretch, he hit two threes and found Thompson for a fast-break slam to push the margin to 17 with 6:52 to play.
OSU took its largest lead of the night (19) with 3:08 to go when Wright flung up a 25-foot prayer ahead of the shot clock buzzer and drew nothing but net.
The Cowboys made nine of their last 11 3-point attempts, capped by Wright’s record-tying triple with 1:30 remaining.
OSU finished at 46.9 percent from the field. Sam Houston State made 10-of-26 3s (.385) but shot just 37.7 percent overall.
A year ago, OSU ranked among the bottom-30 nationally in three-point percentage (.310) but has higher hopes in 2023-24 with a retooled roster that includes nine scholarship newcomers.
The Cowboys’ 85 points was their highest output since a 91-62 win at Oakland, Mich. on Nov. 13, 2022.
OSU travels to Brooklyn, N.Y. this week for the Legends Classic. The Cowboys meet St. Bonaventure in Thursday’s semifinal round at 5:30 p.m. and will face either Notre Dame or Auburn on Friday.
