Oklahoma State Basketball: Initial Baylor reactions at halftime
The no. 6 Baylor Bears carried a 34-30 lead into halftime tonight at Gallagher-Iba Arena against the Oklahoma State basketball team.
It’s a big night for the Oklahoma State basketball program 15-8 (4-6 Big 12). They have the opportunity to notch just their second win in the last six meetings they’ve had against AP Top 10 opponents. Tonight, they face the no. 6 Baylor Bears 20-3 (7-3 Big 12) at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.
A win will prove crucial for OK State’s chances on Selection Sunday. However, the Bears need a win to stop their losing streak from carrying to three games.
Baylor controlled the game for most of the first half carrying a lead into halftime. OK State looked flat for quite a bit of the first half as well. They were outpaced on both sides of the floor. That does not equal success against the best defensive team in the Big 12.
Now let’s take a look at the initial reactions at halftime between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Baylor Bears.
Baylor’s bigs dominating
There is a noticeable size discrepancy between BU’s bigs and OK State’s. Senior forward Johnathan Motley had a huge first half. OK State’s senior forward Mitchell Solomon ran into foul trouble early. And senior forward Leyton Hammonds struggled on both ends of the floor. The rest of the players in the Cowboy rotation that got heavy playing time just could not match up with Motley’s size.
OK State needs to continue to attack Baylor’s bigs to test them down low and possibly get them in some foul trouble. Sophomore point guard Jawun Evans and junior forward Jeffrey Carroll did a better job of that as the first half went along.
Davon Dillard continues his success
Sophomore guard Davon Dillard really came on strong of late. He continued the success he had over the last few weeks tonight. Dillard finished second in scoring for the Cowboys in the first half with seven points. That’s always a boost for any team when you can get that type of effort off the bench.
Next: Oklahoma State Basketball: Predicting Baylor
OK State struggling from three-point range
Senior shooting guard Phil Forte was rather quiet in the first half as he only took two shots in the first half. Most of the scoring reliance fell on Carroll and Evans. The Pokes shot 28.6 percent from three-point range and 36 percent overall. That will have to improve if the Cowboys want to beat a team as good as Baylor.