How 'critical errors' doomed Oklahoma State basketball's upset bid against Baylor in OT

STILLWATER — Bryce Thompson’s potential game-tying 3-pointer hit both sides of the rim, but bounced up and out in the final seconds of overtime, and when his Oklahoma State teammates couldn’t corral the rebound, the Cowboys were pinned with a painful 75-70 loss to 18th-ranked Baylor on Saturday afternoon at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

OSU (8-6, 0-1 Big 12) showed grit, not to mention growth from the early season struggles that resulted in multiple losses, yet couldn’t overcome a few key mistakes, including some missed free throws, late in regulation and in overtime.

Playing in his first Big 12 Conference game, OSU freshman Brandon Garrison exploded for the best performance of his young career, scoring a season-high 20 points, and Javon Small added 17.

RayJ Dennis led Baylor with 18 points, though the Bears did the majority of their damage in close range, scoring 50 points in the paint. The Bears entered as the top 3-point shooting team in the country at 44.8% for the season, but were 2 of 15 from deep.

Yet they helped themselves with 16 offensive rebounds that produced 12 second-chance points.

“Really good teams find another way to win,” OSU coach Mike Boynton said. “That’s what they did today. They got to the offensive glass. They drove the ball more and finished around the basket. But our guys competed their butts off. I’m really proud of that.”

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Cowboys stumble in clutch moments

OSU led by 60-56 with under two minutes left in regulation and had a chance to close out the victory, but the perimeter defense that had been strong all day failed the Pokes.

Dennis got loose and was fouled by Cowboy guard Quion Williams on a 3-point attempt. Dennis hit the shot and added the free throw to tie the game at 60, ultimately forcing overtime.

In the final 2:35 of the extra period, OSU’s Eric Dailey Jr. and Small each missed a free throw. Dailey’s would have given OSU the lead and Small’s would have tied the game. OSU finished 16-of-20 from the line, a vast improvement from the season mark of 66.4%. Yet the misses came in key moments.

OSU had a couple of late turnovers that killed possessions as well. The last came after a blocked shot by Garrison with 25 seconds left and Baylor leading 71-70.

The Cowboys pushed the ball up the floor with a chance to take the lead, but Williams had a pass knocked away and stolen. Baylor got a pair of free throws for a 73-70 edge, setting up the final sequence with Thompson’s 3-point try.

Williams played tough defense all day and had eight rebounds, which will be the emphasis of conversations with his teammates in Saturday’s aftermath.

“The game didn’t become what it was because of that turnover,” Thompson said. “That’s probably what he’s thinking right now, but we’re with him. It’s a bunch of plays we could’ve made that could’ve altered the end of the game.

“As a team, that’s where we come together and make sure he knows it’s good. On to the next one.”

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Brandon Garrison emerges for Cowboys

A true freshman and McDonald’s All-American, Garrison’s first Big 12 game was an illuminating moment for the Cowboys.

The 6-foot-11 forward was at the center of several crucial plays, particularly late, on his way to finishing with a career-high 20 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.

He had a powerful two-handed dunk — on a fastbreak created by his blocked shot on the other end — that revved up the GIA crowd in the closing minutes.

Then, with the game tied, he was going hard to the rim for another potential slam when he was grabbed by the arm and pulled to the ground.

Video review resulted in a flagrant foul. Garrison hit both free throws and slammed home an alley-oop on the ensuing possession for a 60-56 lead with 1:56 to play in regulation.

The Bears quickly tied the game with the aforementioned four-point play by Dennis.

Garrison added four points, a rebound and a blocked shot, playing the entire overtime period. He was on the floor for 38 minutes and made every shot he tried — seven from the floor and six from the free throw line.

“I started off slow,” Garrison said. “I’m a freshman coming into the Big 12. I had to feel the game out a little bit. Once I made my first bucket, the game just came to me.”

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Finding positives in defeat

It wasn’t a win, and these Cowboys are in no place to celebrate moral victories, but taking a top-20 team to the wire can still be a benefit as Big 12 play continues.

“I think people will look at us a little differently now that we took them to overtime and really should’ve finished the game,” said Thompson, who had 15 points. “Obviously we didn’t, but going forward, that’s big. We gotta prep the same way for every team, but it’s definitely good to play Baylor all the way to (45) minutes.”

Small scored 12 of his 17 points in the first 14 minutes of the game until Baylor adjusted its defensive strategy. That included a pair of early 3-pointers.

But when he began to fade, the Cowboy offense stagnated for a bit. After Small scored with 7:26 left in the first half to go ahead 23-19, the Pokes managed just two more buckets — one each from Eric Dailey Jr. and Garrison — as Baylor retook the lead.

Defensively, the Cowboys put together a strong showing in the same timeframe, giving up just four points over a nearly nine-minute stretch, but Baylor had eight points in the final three minutes of the half to pull out to a 31-27 lead.

Still, the Cowboys didn’t fall apart, matching the Bears blow for blow throughout the second half and overtime.

“I think anybody with two good eyes can see that from Nov. 6 to today, we’re a much better team,” Boynton said. “We still had some critical errors that we gotta get corrected to be able to close a game like today out.

“We made our free throws. And we competed our butts off on the defensive end. I’m thankful for that, but we’re 0-1, and at the end of the day, that’s really the bottom line of it. We gotta find a way now to go get one on the road, because that’s what happens when you lose at home.”

The Cowboys are on the road for the next two games, playing at Texas Tech on Tuesday night and at Iowa State next Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State basketball: Cowboys' upset falls short vs. Baylor in OT