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Oklahoma State Basketball: Halftime thoughts vs. Iowa State

By Andrew Miller

Dec 30, 2016; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Jawun Evans (1) dribbles against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. WVU won 92-75. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2016; Stillwater, OK, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Jawun Evans (1) dribbles against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. WVU won 92-75. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Oklahoma State basketball team closed the gap to a 47-46 lead against the Iowa State Cyclones tonight in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

We have talked a lot about the Oklahoma State basketball team today regarding their matchup with the Iowa State Cyclones. It was an up and down first half for the Pokes. Sophomore point guard Jawun Evans got into foul trouble early which meant more playing time for freshman point guard Brandon Averette.

The Cyclones carried 47-46 a lead into halftime, but they once led in the first half by as many as 11 points. OK State made a great push to close the ISU lead at the end of the first half.

Now let’s take a look at halftime thoughts for the Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Iowa State Cyclones.

Too many turnovers

OK State turned the ball over five times within the first four minutes of the game. Jeffrey Carroll has three turnovers. And Leyton Hammonds, Phil Forte, Davon Dillard, and Averette all have two turnovers each. OK State turned the ball over 12 times total in the first half to only five turnovers for the Cyclones. Moreover, ISU forced 10 steals where the Pokes did not force a single steal.

Stay out of foul trouble

Evans’ foul trouble against Baylor cost the Pokes big time. He only played 23 minutes in what was a very close game. Averette became a quality backup this season but he is not the same caliber as Evans, who got into foul trouble early once again. The rest of the Cowboy starters stayed out of foul trouble besides Evans and Hammonds, but things need to stay that way. Considering most teams the Pokes played in their Big 12 schedule so far shot at least 30 free throws, OK State needs to continue staying out of foul trouble this game.

Next: Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State Preview

Phil Forte and Jeffrey Carroll are hot

Much of the OK State offense came from the same two players in the first half. Carroll and Forte both have 15 points each, and both are 6-8 from the field. Freshman forward Cameron McGriff has the most points outside of Carroll and Forte with six points. If the Pokes want to continue hanging with ISU point guard Monte Morris’ high paced scoring in the second half, Carroll and Forte need to continue scoring at the same pace. Morris has 14 points so far.

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