Baylor took a 3-0 lead 17 seconds into their game against OSU on Saturday night, and the Bears (12-5, 2-3) never relinquished the lead, defending their home court en route to a dominating victory. 74-58 against OSU. the Cowboys (9-8, 1-4).
After starting the game on a 13-0 run, the Cowboys battled their way back into the contest, cutting the deficit to just two points midway through the first half.
“We dug ourselves a hole, thanks to our kids for finding it in them to fight and giving us a chance to be in the game in the first half,” coach Mike Boynton said.
However, a woeful shooting performance derailed any hope that the comeback would continue, as the 16-point loss is the Cowboys’ biggest loss of the season.
The Cowboys entered Waco as the team ranked 239th in 3-point percentage, shooting 32.65% from beyond the arc on the season. However, they attempted 33 shots from deep, landing just seven, virtually putting themselves out of the game.
“We had some good looks in the first half, we just didn’t get them, and then we got a few more in the second half,” Boynton said. “We have to be more consistently better on the offensive end.”
With Moussa Cissé sidelined for the third straight game with an ankle injury, the Cowboys fell short in the rebounding department, with Baylor controlling the offensive and defensive glass, outscoring the Cowboys 41-30.
Despite Cissé’s absence, Boynton’s team still found success in the paint, going under 24 of their points, further bolstering their questionable offensive approach.
In the first two games without Cissé, senior big man Kalib Boone played a pivotal role in the Cowboys’ offense, averaging 12 field goal attempts and 19.5 points in those games. Against the Bears though, Boone was not a factor, finding the back of the net for the first time with three minutes remaining on a free throw as he only attempted 4 field goals and totaled eight points, all of which came on time. of garbage. .
Due to the Cowboys’ lack of offense inside the perimeter, their free throw opportunities were also limited, shooting 5-8 from the line as the Bears made 22 free throws, conceding 15 of them.
With the loss, the Cowboys drop to 1-4 in conference play as they are beginning to lose their spot in the deeply talented Big 12 with a home Bedlam matchup next on the schedule.
“I still have a lot of confidence in this team that we’re going to figure this out soon,” Boynton said.
Source: news.google.com