Oklahoma State basketball vs. Chicago State: 3 takeaways as Cowboys roll into Big 12 play
STILLWATER – Nonconference play ended with a comfortable win for the Cowboys.
OSU jumped out to a big lead in the first half and didn’t let up, defeating Chicago State, 72-53, at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Wednesday night. Next up for the Cowboys, conference play, which begins Saturday against Baylor.
Here are three takeaways from OSU’s win.
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OSU capitalizes on hot start
In the Cowboys’ past two games against, they let South Carolina State and Wofford linger into halftime and even into the second half. Like the Bulldogs and Terriers, the Cougars were another outmatched team, but this time OSU (8-5) put them away early.
Chicago State (7-14) took a 4-2 lead, then OSU went on a 24-2 run in which it was executing across the board. The Cowboys went 8 of 12 from the field and had four assists with no turnovers.
“I thought the first half offensively really set a good tone for us and put them on their heels,” OSU coach Mike Boynton said.
The defense forced the Cougars to shoot 1 for 14 during that stretch, too. Quion Williams, the Cowboys’ top perimeter defender, was a big part of that. He shut down Chicago State’s leading scorer Wesley Cardet, holding him to five points, well below his 18.8 points a game average.
“I thought the job that (Quion) did on Cardet early kinda frustrated him and led to us to be really connected defensively,” Boynton said.
More importantly, OSU didn’t have a lull that let Chicago State get back into the game.
The Cowboys kept the Cougars in check defensively and scored 19 fast-break points while CSU had four. No chance to stumble was given at the free throw line, either, where the Cowboys went 12 for 15.
Bryce Thompson, Eric Dailey Jr. and Javon Small each scored in double figures, and the Cowboys soared to a 25-point lead in the second half.
At times, OSU’s offensive production dipped, but the defense kept the game out of reach.
“Second half we weren’t as sharp offensively,” Boynton said. “We had some open shots that didn’t go down – that’s part of the game. I thought defensively we stayed with it and were able to come out with a pretty comfortable win.”
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Lineup taking shape, Cowboys trending upward heading into Big 12 play
Boynton said last week that it was time to tighten up the lineup in preparation for the conference opener, and the past two games have been a peek at what that looks like.
Dailey, Williams, Small, Thompson and Brandon Garrison are the starting five, then Jarius Hicklen, Jamyron Keller and Mike Marsh round out the rotation. Around eight players is where Boynton said he wants the rotation to be at, which is what it was against SCSU, but guard John-Michael Wright also got into the action Wednesday.
The tightened lineup has worked well for the Cowboys, too.
“This team, they’ve played together for now 13 games,” Boynton said. “That’s about where you start to see that kind of cohesiveness. I think our rotations are better.”
The freshmen are looking more comfortable together, and an identity is taking shape. The 3-point shooting continues to be a strength, with the Cowboys entering the day shooting 38% (27th nationally), then going 8 for 25 (32%) against the Cougars.
Turnovers (15) and offensive rebounds (13) have been issues that resurface from time to time, but things have seemed to begin to mesh during the Cowboys’ five-game winning streak.
“I think we’re in a better position than we were when we first started the season,” Small said. “I know that our confidence is growing each game, and we’ve just got to continue to piggyback off everything we’ve been through the season.”
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Eric Dailey Jr. shows versatility
Dailey’s potential has never been in question, but he did it all for the Cowboys on Wednesday and showed his versatility as he has all season.
He finished with 12 points and nine rebounds along with a pair of steals and a block. That’s a similar stat line to what he’s produced for the Cowboys all season. Not dominant, but consistent and effective.
“(His role) is just to be a guy who can kinda fill the stat sheet in multiple ways,” Boynton said. “Getting nine rebounds is a big deal. I’m always on him about that’s where I look first in terms of his engagement in the game.”
On offense, he hit a 3, was strong in the paint and found the open man. On defense, he reeled in rebounds and forced steals. He even helped ignite the crowd and set the tempo early in the game with his first assist – an alley-oop to Williams three minutes into the first half.
All nine of his rebounds were on defense, which Boynton said the staff wants from Dailey because it gives the Cowboys a different look in transition. Dailey said his aggressiveness was to thank, and it helped him finish strong in the paint, too.
“Just being aggressive, that’s what we focus on is crashing the boards every time, and being able to finish through contact is one of the things we work through every day,” Dailey said. “Just doing the daily things we work on is translating to the game.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball beats Chicago State, extends streak
