Sophomore guard Brandon Averette came off the bench to lead Oklahoma State in scoring on Thursday night. The Richardson, Texas native shot 4-of-6 from long range and 8-of-16 from the floor on his way to a 21 point performance.
The Cowboys rolled to a 44-27 first half lead and then extended in the second half by outpacing the Golden Eagles 47-21 in the final twenty minutes. Senior forward Mitchell Solomon (12) and guards Thomas Dziagwa (11), and Zack Dawson (11) joined Averette in double-digit scoring. Avarette also dished out 9 assists to go with his 21 points.
“He has a swagger about him. His confidence comes from work,” OSU head coach Mike Boynton said about Avarette. “He really embodies the “Let’s Work” mentality of our program. He spends as much time around this gym as anybody and it really pays off. His teammates know that and when he gets going, they all like each other, (so it gets them going). He had nine assists and no turnovers tonight, and that’s something I’m really proud of.”
Thursday night’s game is a part of the Progressive Legends Classic tournament, which includes many teams throughout the country and continues over the next eight days. Oklahoma State will next travel to New York City to play Texas A&M as a part of the tournament. The Cowboys and Aggies will play at 6:00 PM on Monday night in a game that will be televised on ESPN2.
Three Thoughts
- Defense continues to lead the way for Oklahoma State. The Pokes held Oral Roberts to 31.3% from the floor in the second half which puts them on par with what they’ve been doing to teams early on in the season. Through their first three games this year they have forced 28 turnovers and held opponents to 31.1 percent shooting from the field.
- Thrive by the three. It may end up costing them, on a night when shots aren’t falling, but the long-ball is one of the top weapons in Oklahoma State’s arsenal. OSU made 13 3-pointers on Thursday night. They are averaging 10.7 3-pointers made per game this season.
- Going deep. For the second-straight game Oklahoma State’s bench produced in a big way. They outscored ORU’s bench 51-11.
📸 Photo of the Night: @Cameron_McGriff makes it look easy! #LetsWork #okstate pic.twitter.com/9HYmvpmQlS
— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) November 17, 2017