OSU basketball rolls over Texas A&M 87-63 behind rowdy home crowd
Parsa Fallah exchanged smack talk with an Aggie that fired up the crowd. The viral banana costumes were present. Oklahoma State players consistently asked for more noise.
The Cowboys’ on-court product was crisp on both ends, but one of their most consistent weapons was those who watched.
For 40 minutes on Sunday, OSU students and fans put on their own show inside Gallagher-Iba Arena, while the Cowboys put their offensive upgrades on display and dominated Texas A&M, 87-63. Together, it was a powerful one-two punch and helped OSU improve to 2-0.
“Terrific environment,” Cowboys coach Steve Lutz said. “I thought the fans were fantastic. The students were great, and I thought that really gave us an opportunity early. Because when you go into a game, especially a game like this, where they press a lot and (the opponent does) some different things, you need to feel the crowd behind you. We certainly felt that tonight all night.”
Aggies guard Pop Isaacs opened the game’s scoring with a catch-and-shoot 3. But quickly after, Isaacs lost his footing.
Isaacs — one of Texas A&M’s best scorers — put up a couple of airballs early in the first half, to which OSU fans responded by chanting “Airball! Airball! Airball!” each time Isaacs possessed the basketball. For the rest of the contest, Isaacs looked tilted, scoring eight points on 2-of-11 shooting.
Aggies coach Bucky McMillan’s unique style includes a full-court press after made baskets, aiming to speed opponents up and force them into poor decisions. Lutz’s squad, however, handled the pressure calmly and worked for good looks.
The Cowboys only committed one turnover in the first 20 minutes and shot 46.9% from the field to create a 43-29 halftime lead. OSU also held Texas A&M below 30% from the field in the first half.
Cowboys guard Isaiah Coleman, who missed the season opener against Oral Roberts due to a violation of team rules, returned and scored 15 points. He was key in helping OSU break the Aggies’ press early and scored 11 in the opening half.
“I thought for the most part, for about 36 or 37 minutes, we stayed within the framework of what we were trying to do (to handle the full-court press),” Lutz said. “... They try to create chaos, and we tried to eliminate chaos and stay true to what we're supposed to do.”
The Cowboys built on their first-half play by opening the second half with a quick 9-3 run. Forward Christian Coleman stole the ball from Texas A&M and slammed in a wide-open dunk to grow the lead to 20, forcing McMillan to call a timeout.
The crowd inside GIA rose to its feet, but OSU guard Vyctorius Miller signaled for more noise.
As the volume increased, the Cowboys continued to stifle the Aggies, holding them to 35.7% shooting and forcing eight turnovers in the second half. OSU also knocked down 50% of its shots in the final 20 minutes and had an answer for most of what Texas A&M threw its way.
“They’re crazy,” OSU guard Jaylen Curry said of the fan atmosphere. “They’re crazy. I love it, though.”
The Cowboys were without guard Anthony Roy, who has yet to play this season due to a groin injury. He averaged 25.7 points in 11 games last season at Green Bay and projects to be one of OSU’s best scorers.
But with the firepower and skill Lutz brought in, the Cowboys were more than OK without Roy’s services. Christian scored a team-high 16 points, Curry added 12, Miller put up 15 and Fallah had 10 to go with Isaiah’s 15.
With all the offensive talent OSU has at its disposal, point-guarding feels easy, Curry said.
“Knowing I got guys who (will) knock the shot down, who will run the floor, who will set screens and get me open so I can facilitate like I do, it’s a blessing to be able to play with these guys I got on my team right now.”