Wednesday, Jan. 25 -
Mizzou came into Wednesday’s matchup versus the (9-10, 2-4 Big 12) Oklahoma State Cowboys hyped up after beating No. 3 Baylor and capturing the No. 2 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll. The Cowboys were looking to protect their 8-2 home court record.
The atmosphere was electric at the “Madison Square Garden of the Plains,” Gallagher-Iba Arena, which sparked the Cowboys three-point shooting. They shot 38.5 percent from behind the three-point line, a whole six percentage points higher than their season average (31.7 percent).
On the contrary, Mizzou shot a measly 21.1 percent from three-point land, 17 percent fewer than their season average (38.4 percent).
Power forward Ricardo Ratliffe and guard Marcus Denmon lead the Tigers. The rest of the team, however, appeared to be on a big game hangover after the road win over No. 3 Baylor this past Saturday.
Michael Dixon, averaging 10.1 points per game and 5.8 assists per game, had only four points and two assists. Kim English, the Tigers No. 1 three-point shooter at 48.9 pecent, did not attempt a three-point field goal in 35 minutes of play.
On the positive side, Ratliffe scored 25 points and collected 12 rebounds. Denmon added 17 points and brought down four rebounds.
Leading the charge for Oklahoma State were freshman Le’Bryan Nash and sophomore Brian Williams who both set career highs for points in a game.
Nash shot 12-18 from the field and went 3-4 from beyond the arc, including two huge threes down the stretch. The second three gave Oklahoma State their first lead since the 19:24 mark at the beginning of the second half.
Nash, a top 10 recruit from Dallas, Texas, finished off the night with 27 points, four assists, and four rebounds. His final assist came on a fast break alley-oop to his partner in crime, Brian Williams.
Brian Williams, who coming into Wednesday night was averaging 6.1 points per game, scored 22 points and went 10-12 from the free-throw line. Before Wednesday’s game, Williams had been to the line only 36 times.
Williams, a 6’5” guard, sealed the game with 1:06 remaining in the game with an acrobatic lay-up plus the foul that whirled around the rim and eventually fell threw the net, giving the Cowboys a 75-68 lead over the Tigers.
Oklahoma State was able to pull off the upset as they defeated the No. 2 Tigers 79-72, giving Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford his eighth victory over a top five opponent.
It was the sixth straight time a top 25 ranked Tiger team has rolled into Stillwater, Okla., and come away with a loss.
The Tigers hope to bounce back this upcoming Saturday at 12:30p.m. as they play host to the Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-11, 0-6 Big 12), who are coming into Mizzou Arena on a season-worst six game losing streak.
- Andrew Kauffman
23 Sports
Staff Writer