Oklahoma State basketball upset by Abilene Christian. 'You don’t want to start this way'

STILLWATER — Following a lengthy silence, Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton opened his postgame news conference late Monday night with an apology to Cowboys fans.

“That was not a performance worthy of their commitment and support and what we’ve asked of them to come out and cheer for us,” Boynton said. “My apologies to our fans for what they had to watch tonight because that was not very good basketball by us.

“And obviously it starts with me. As the head coach. I’m responsible for how we perform, our ability to execute and we didn’t do the things necessary to win tonight.”

Frankly, the Cowboys’ season opener could not have started the season in a worse way.

A stunning 64-59 loss to mid-major Abilene Christian — the first at home to open the season since 1957 against Kansas — was created by a recipe of disaster that left the Cowboys distraught, angry and embarrassed.

The Cowboys struggled from 3-point range and at the foul line. They did not execute defensively or rebound well enough.

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And their response with a comeback attempt was too little too late.

“You don’t want to start this way,” OSU senior Bryce Thompson said. “We have to be able to learn from this. It can’t be a reoccurring thing where we get off to a slow start and give a team confidence and then not stop it.”

OSU last lost a season opener in 2018 and had won 27 of its past 28 to begin a season. It had won 48 straight home openers.

It’s the third straight season OSU has lost to a mid-major team in non-conference play. Two years ago, OSU lost to Oakland. A year ago, it lost to Southern Illinois.

Now, Abilene Christian, a team sitting at No. 170 in the opening KenPom.com rankings, pulled the upset.

“Every year at our level, I think it’s one game that gets these guys to buy in,” “You never known when it’s going to come. Sometimes it comes in February. Sometimes it comes in December. I hope it’s this one.

“I’ve never had it be the first game of the year before, but I hope this is the one.”

The Wildcats led by as much as 18 in the second half.

But the Cowboys fought back, getting within three multiple times in the final stretch. They could still never close the gap, even missing opportunities in a chaotic final two minutes.

Bryce Thompson led the Cowboys with 19 points and newcomer Mike Marsh added 13 points and nine rebounds. True freshman Connor Down scored nine while making 3 of 7 from 3-point range.

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

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Cowboys have to make free throws

With 35.5 seconds left and the Cowboys down by three, Thompson stepped to the free-throw line with a chance to get even closer.

He had been the hero late, scoring 10 points in the final 2:52.

But in that moment at the line, he struggled. He missed both foul shots.

A huge problem last season remained an issue for Thompson, who made just 54.7% of his foul shots a year ago.

“I’m still frustrated,” Thompson said. “I want to make ‘em. That’s free points. That can’t happen. As a good player, as a vet, you can’t do that.”

Thompson was 2 for 7 from the line.

OSU made just 8 of 20 free throws as a team. Strong free throw shooters like John-Michael Wright and Jarius Hicklen did not attempt one.

Abilene Christian made 7 of 11.

But Thompson’s struggles will stand out. Boynton said they are going to dig deep to find a solution.

To Thompson’s credit, he did not back down from questions about his struggles after the game.

“I’m going to get it figured out, though,” Thompson said. “I’m going to get with my dad and we’re going to get it figured out. But that’s just for me.

“We work on them. Coach makes us shoot them every day after practice and we make them. But it doesn’t matter. We gotta come out in the game when it matters and knock them down.”

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Cowboys don’t make excuses for loss

OSU played six new players. Four true freshmen played. And the Cowboys were without starting point guard Javon Small and backup point guard Jamyron Keller, a true freshman, due to injuries.

Still, Boynton wasn’t pointing to inexperience or the lack of a true point guard as the reason for the loss.

“We got to play better,” Boynton said. “It’s really that simple.”

But there were times the offense reverted to last season with Small, an East Carolina transfer and dynamic floor general.

Abilene Christian put immense pressure on the perimeter, primarily the point guard position. That wreaked havoc on an OSU team now built more on offense than defense.

“But you gotta be good enough,” Boynton said. “We got a couple veteran guards out there that gotta be able to get the job done.”

As for the true freshmen, there were growing pains.

Dow got hot for a period, hitting a trio of consecutive 3s that started the comeback effort. He played nearly 21 minutes and missed the game-tying 3 in the final seconds.

Eric Dailey Jr. scored six points and grabbed five rebounds. But he also had three turnovers, including one on a key fastbreak. Justin McBride and Brandon Garrison also struggled.

“We can’t make the excuse that we’re young because that’s not changing tomorrow,” Boynton said. “Those guys have to be ready to help us.”

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What’s next for OSU?

It’s Game 1 of the season, so there remains lots of basketball.

And in the past, Boynton’s teams have surged late in the season. They’ve even found success after mid-major upsets.

Perhaps that’s some solace. But for a mostly new team, it could mean nothing.

Marsh said his message to the team was to not take another possession for granted. Thompson said he would watch film after the game and figure out what to correct.

And Boynton conveyed a message of cautious optimism.

“I’m always concerned about how teams respond to losses, particularly in an environment that we live in today where everything’s really extreme,” Boynton said. “This was not a good loss. Not at all.

“But we’re not going to fold up our bags and not play the rest of the season. We’re going to come back tomorrow and we’re going to practice and we’re going to practice hard, and they’re going to watch the film and they’re going to learn from their mistakes.

“The hope is that we continue to get better, that this is an opportunity for us to grow — maybe expedite that growth because they understand now the capacity, the weight of every game and how making small errors early can build on itself and put you in a tough spot to win.”

Jacob Unruh covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jacob? He can be reached at junruh@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @jacobunruh. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Jacob’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State basketball loses to Abilene Christian in season opener