West Virginia Mountaineers Hang on for 55-41 Win Over Oklahoma State
The West Virginia Mountaineers defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 55-41, in men’s Big 12 basketball action on Monday night, and our HeartlandCollegeSports.com basketball writer Matthew Postins broke down the game after its conclusion on Periscope on Monday night.
Breaking down #HailWV win over #OKState in our @Heartland_CS postgame Periscope #WVUvsOKST #Big12MBB https://t.co/vxNGrkBXvV
— Matthew Postins (@PostinsPostcard) January 7, 2020
The Mountaineers (12-2, 1-1 in Big 12 action), coming off a loss to Kansas, had a sluggish start to the game, but Postins explains how the Mountaineers picked things up in the latter stages of the first half and maintained that lead throughout the second half. Miles McBride was a big part of that, hitting a walk-off 3-pointer to end the half, which underscored the bench contributions from the Mountaineers.
During the contest ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla called the Mountaineers “perhaps the best defensive team in the nation.” Is that an overreach? Not when you consider the Mountaineers’ first two games of Big 12 play. On offense, It helps when players like Oscar Tshiebwe (12 points, 8 rebounds) can soar like this.
A little Oscar Tshiebwe going for the dunk as #HailWV has a 6 point lead at the under 4. #WVU #Big12MBB @Heartland_CS @BrandonWVMix pic.twitter.com/gOEEkGJrOL
— Matthew Postins (@PostinsPostcard) January 7, 2020
Derek Culver had 9 points and 12 rebounds for West Virginia, while McBride had 10 points. The Mountaineers played 12 different players on Monday night. Postins explains why having Tshiebwe and Culver on the floor at the same time helps West Virginia succeed.
The Cowboys (9-5, 0-2), meanwhile, had an ugly outing for the second straight Big 12 game, as they lost by 35 points to Texas Tech on Saturday. The Cowboys got a key starter back on Monday, but they also lost a key starter to an illness and that loss had a significant impact on the Cowboys’ offensive woes. Is there reason to be optimistic? Yes. The Cowboys remain a talented team. But there are a couple of things that have to change immediately, starting with the Cowboys’ trip to TCU on Saturday. Postins explains more.
Lindy Waters III scored 12 points and had Oklahoma State’s only 3-pointer of the game (they shot 1-of-20 from distance). Waters did hit a career milestone, as he scored his 1000th career point as a Cowboy on a running jumper, and then hit the Cowboys’ only 3-pointer shortly after. But the Cowboys could never get within two possessions after falling behind by nine at halftime.
It took 17 tries, but #OKState finally has a made 3-pointer courtesy of Lindy Waters III. He now has 10 points and more than 1,000 for his #GoPokes career. But still down 11. #WVUvsOKST #Big12MBB @Heartland_CS pic.twitter.com/3kSe1ow9OS
— Matthew Postins (@PostinsPostcard) January 7, 2020
Cameron McGriff added 10 points for the Cowboys.
Oklahoma State and West Virginia both get some time off now. The Cowboys travel to TCU on Saturday, while the Mountaineers face No. 22 Texas Tech on Saturday, a contest that will be the Mountaineers’ first home game of 2020 and mark a stretch of six homes games in eight contests for West Virginia.
