Despite keeping the game within four points at halftime, the OSU Cowboys’ season came to an end after they were blown out by the UCF Knights.
13-seed Oklahoma State looked good in the first half against the 12-seed Knights, the game was neck-and-neck and the Cowboys were shooting well from the field.
Halftime in KC #GoPokes | @MidFirst pic.twitter.com/fP4sG7rjTK
— OSU Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) March 12, 2024
However, the shooting success was short-lived for the Cowboys as they went on a scoring drought for nearly 10 minutes. Oklahoma State went field goalless from about a minute and a half remaining in the first half until nearly nine minutes through the second half.
On the other side of the court, UCF improved their shooting prowess, going on an 11-0 run to open the second half, and simply outpaced the Pokes’ style of play.
As Oklahoma State players struggled to find buckets and racked up personal fouls, the Knights shot 40.3 percent from the field and went 18 of 24 from the line.
The Cowboys finished with an abysmal 37.1 percent from the field as well as allowing 13 turnovers.
Javon Small went on a shooting streak during the last seven minutes of play but it just wasn’t enough to carry his team to a victory.
Small led the team with 21 points, he was joined by Eric Dailey Jr. (12 points) and Brandon Garrison (10 points) with double digits in the scoring column.
UCF was led by Ibrahima Diallo, who recorded his fourth double-double, with 17 points.
Debut W in KC ‼️ pic.twitter.com/a7otz6VmfP
— UCF Men’s Hoops 🌴 (@UCF_MBB) March 12, 2024
While the Cowboys never relented, the Knights walked away with a 77-62 win over Oklahoma State. The Pokes, finishing with a 12-20 overall record, will not appear in either the NIT or NCAA Tournament this postseason.
UCF will play the five-seed BYU Cougars on March 13 at 11:30 a.m. CT. Big 12 and Knight fans can tune into the matchup on ESPN2.