Oklahoma State pulled away in the second half against West Virginia to win 81-58 on Saturday afternoon.
Here are three takeaways from the OSU victory:
Foul shooting continues to improve
OSU’s struggles at the foul line this season have been well documented. Having spent most of the season as the worst free-throw shooting team in the Big 12, the Cowboys look to be turning a corner.
OSU has now shot at least 75% from the line in four of its last six games. Against West Virginia, OSU had 34 free throw attempts and made 26 of them. Junior guard Avery Anderson got to the line more than any other Cowboy, where he converted 10 of his 12 attempts.
The Cowboys meant business coming out of halftime
After closing the first half on an 8-1 run and a Tyreek Smith putback at the buzzer, OSU entered halftime with momentum and a 36-30 lead.
After a sloppy first few possessions, the Cowboys started to get going. Over the first seven minutes of the second half, OSU held West Virginia to just two points on 1-11 shooting while also forcing two turnovers. On the other end of the floor, the Cowboys poured in 16 points over the same stretch. Bryce Williams capped off the 16-2 run with back-to-back layups to set up the Cowboys for the rest of the afternoon.
OSU shied away from the 3-point line
Shooting from the outside has been a staple of the offense under Mike Boynton, but the Cowboys have adjusted their approach.
OSU focused on scoring inside to begin the game and took only three shots from long range in the first half. OSU increased its outside shooting in the second half and finished the game 3 for 13 on 3-pointers.
Although the Cowboys didn’t shoot well from deep, they capitalized on their opportunities inside the arc where they shot 56%. Cowboy big man Moussa Cisse, put up his third double-double of the season and was instrumental in setting the tone down low.