The No. 17 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys and 16th ranked Oklahoma Sooners played each other on Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma, in an overtime thriller. Star freshman, Cade Cunningham, led the Cowboys; he had 40 points and 11 rebounds beat the rival Sooners 94-90 on the road in Norman. The Sooners would look to bounce back during Monday night’s game in Stillwater.
Going into Monday night’s game, the Sooners lost 2 straight; Saturday’s game against the Cowboys and last Tuesday’s against Kansas State. Meanwhile, the Cowboys found themselves winning 7 of their last 9 heading into Monday night’s contest against the Sooners.
The spotlight was on Cowboy freshman Cunningham after his stellar 40-point performance Saturday against his rivals. Cunningham entered Monday’s contest averaging 19.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Cunningham is projected by many to be a top pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
Senior guard Austin Reaves led the Sooners, averaging 17.5 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, and 5.1 assists per game.
After such a tight game just 2 days ago, a back and forth first half was no surprise for anyone. The Sooners would take a 1-point lead into the break, leading 36-35. Sooners senior forward, Brady Manek, was on fire in the first half, scoring 16 points, making 4 of 6 three-point shots, and grabbing 5 rebounds.
Kalib Boone and Bryce Williams led the Cowboys in the first half, each scoring 8 first-half points. The Cowboys star freshman, Cunningham, had a quiet first half after his big game Saturday; he posted a first-half stat line of 2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 turnovers, going 0 for two from the field against the Sooners. While the Cowboy’s young star may have struggled in the first half, the second half was a different story. Cunningham recorded 13 points and 5 rebounds in the second half alone; his big second half helped fuel a Cowboys victory at home.
Like Saturday’s overtime thriller between the clubs and the first half, the second half of Monday night’s game was tight, coming down to the wire. Neither team looked to ease up in the top 25 rivalry matchup. The difference-maker for the Cowboys in the second, besides Cunningham’s huge half, was Kalib Boone scoring 17 points; he went 8 for 9 from the field and grabbed 9 rebounds.
After the hot first half from Manek, he finished the game with 20 points and 9 rebounds; senior guard Austin Reaves scored 19 points, grabbing 7 rebounds. Although Manek and Reaves had great games, it was not enough for the Sooners to come out of Stillwater with a win, ending the losing streak. If they want to end their losing streak before the postseason begins, it has to be done against another rival Thursday against No. 15 Texas.
Monday Night’s win gives the Cowboys wins in 8 of their last 10 games. The Cowboys look to continue their winning ways later this week against No. 3 Baylor in Waco and No. 6 West Virginia in Morgantown.
