Friday night 4 seed Oklahoma State met 13 seed Liberty in the round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament. Liberty, 23-5 on the year, comes into the contest on a 12-game winning streak and ASUN champions. OSU, 20-8, is coming off a tough 86-91 loss to Texas in the Big 12 championship game.
Cade Cunningham is the lead man for OSU. The star freshman averages 20.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. The projected number one pick in the NBA Draft would look to shine on the big stage of the NCAA Tournament.
Liberty does not have a Cunningham, but they do have Darius McGhee. McGhee is Liberty’s leading scorer on the year, averaging 15.6 points per game.
First Half
Liberty found themselves in control for much of the first half. The first tightly competed, and both teams played well. Liberty shot 40% from the field, and OSU was just behind them at 38.7%. The difference-maker for Liberty in the first was three pointers. Liberty made 5 of 11 three-pointers in the first, while OSU only made 1.
Both teams struggled to hold onto the ball in the first. Liberty turned it over 9 times, and OSU would commit 7 turnovers. After a very tight first half, Liberty would take a 30-27 lead into the break.
Blake Preston led the way in the first for Liberty, scoring 9 points and grabbing 3 rebounds. Liberty’s leading scorer McGhee added 8 points in the first.
OSU’s star freshman Cunningham struggled in the first. Cunningham only scored 1 point and was able to dish out 1 assist in the first half. Avery Anderson III stepped up for OSU in the first with their star trying to find his footing. Anderson scored 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in the first, making a huge impact on the big stage.
Second Half
The first half felt as if it belonged to Liberty. After the break, the control would swap in favor of OSU. The game would stay very competitive until the final buzzer, but OSU would not be denied. Both teams shot around the 40% mark like in the first half. OSU was able to grab two more rebounds than their opponents. Turnovers played a factor. Liberty turned the ball over another 9 times in the second half, while OSU only committed 6 turnovers in the second half.
The difference-maker for OSU was Cade Cunningham. Cunningham was a non-factor in the first half, but a big second half spelled the end for Liberty. Cunningham was able to score 14 points in the second half as well as grabbing 4 rebounds. The star freshman’s big second half elevated OSU to a 69-60 first-round victory over Liberty.
OSU also saw big games from Anderson, who finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Isaac Likekele also did, finishing the first-round contest with 10 points and 6 rebounds.
Liberty’s players left it all out on the court, and the box score shows it. Preston finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds. McGhee had 12 points and 5 rebounds. Senior Guard Chris Parker scored 10. Another senior guard, Elijah Cuffee, led the way with 16 points; he also grabbed 3 rebounds and dished out 4 assists. Liberty’s season came to an end with its loss.
Oklahoma State advances to the round of 32 where they will face 12 seed Oregon State on Sunday.
