STILLWATER, Okla. -- The whistle blew, the crowd hissed and for a while, it seemed like the Missouri Tigers, the nation’s No. 2 team, would do the same thing they’ve done all season long — find a way to win.
This was Wednesday, the second half of what turned out to be a 79-72 loss, and what should have been a momentum-turning play in favor of Oklahoma State — a ridiculous alley-oop slam by guard Markel Brown that had cut the Cowboys’ deficit to three with seven minutes left — appeared to swing Missouri’s way when Brown was issued his second technical foul of the game for taunting.This not only sent the crowd of 9,476 at Gallagher-Iba Arena into a tizzy, it also sent Brown — who glared at a Missouri player following the slam — to the locker room and Marcus Denmon to the free-throw line. Denmon made both, Ricardo Ratliffe added two more, and all of a sudden, the Tigers had a 60-53 lead with 6 minutes, 31 seconds remaining.This was the moment when Missouri — a one-loss team fresh off an impressive road win over Baylor — should have pulled away, should have buried a team that was not only sitting with a 9-10 record but riding a three-game losing streak.Only the Tigers didn’t, as Oklahoma State rallied to outscore Missouri 26-12 the rest of the way.And while there were plenty of reasons for that — and you can put the play of Oklahoma State guards Le’Bryan Nash, a freshman who scored a career-high 27 points, and Brian Williams, 22 points, right at the top of that list — Missouri coach Frank Haith said the Tigers could place the blame on themselves for this one.“They didn’t get our very best effort,” Haith said. “We give them credit because they came out and they were ready to play and they executed.”While Missouri out-toughed and outrebounded a bigger Baylor team to produce the upset on Saturday that catapulted the Tigers to No. 2 from No. 5 in the polls, the Tigers got a taste of their own medicine Wednesday as Oklahoma State, the worst-rebounding team in the Big 12, won the battle of loose balls and held their own on the boards — they outrebounded Missouri 32-31.“We didn’t play the way we normally play in terms of being active and aggressive in terms of coming up with loose balls,” Haith said. Haith mentioned one example in particular, which came with his team leading 64-62 with 3:51 left. “We’re up two. We have a loose ball. We don’t come up with it, and then Nash hits a three,” Haith said.Nash’s three, which came from the corner, gave Oklahoma State a 65-64 lead. He added another three moments later to give the Cowboys a four-point lead and cap an impressive 15-4 run in which he scored 11 of his team’s points.“When he’s shooting the ball (like that), you give it to him every single time,” said Oklahoma State guard Keiton Page, who finished with 12 points.The two teams quickly traded baskets, but Oklahoma State — 10-10, 3-4 Big 12 — began to pull away when Williams slammed home an alley-oop from Nash (who else?) that put the Cowboys ahead 72-66. Missouri, 18-2 and 5-2 in the Big 12, cut the lead to four with two free throws by Ratliffe, who finished with a team-high 25 points and 12 rebounds, but Oklahoma State pulled away for good when Williams sped through the lane and converted a three-point play that put Oklahoma State ahead 75-68 with about a minute left.And that was pretty much all she wrote for Missouri, which finished four for 19 from three-point range and could only muster a pair of baskets by Ratliffe and Denmon (17 points) over the last 65 seconds.Haith criticized his team for being impatient at times and failing to attack the basket.“With the way they were officiated tonight, you’ve got to be aggressive and take the hit head on,” Haith said. “And I thought we were soft in our aggressiveness going to the basket.” Later he said, “Our focus was not where it needs to be in order to win a game like this on the road.” It was, to be honest, in contrast to Oklahoma State, whose players said after the game how much they wanted it. Their coach, Travis Ford, could see it, too. Perhaps that’s why he said he couldn’t shake the feeling that the ejection of Brown — and the seven-point hole the Cowboys soon found themselves in — wouldn’t necessarily be a death knell for his team. “This is a great win for a group of guys that chose to look at the glass half-full instead of half-empty,” Ford said.And while the loss is disappointing for Missouri, the Tigers could benefit from using the same approach for its home game against Texas Tech on Saturday.“In our league, one win or one loss can’t determine the rest of the week because you’ve got to play another good team,” Denmon said. “We’ll regain our focus and get ready for the next game on Saturday.”Read more Sports
Posted on Wed, Jan. 25, 2012 11:13 PM
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Oklahoma State upsets No. 2 Missouri 79-72
Cowboys hand Tigers their second loss of season.
Oklahoma State turned up the energy at Gallagher-Iba Arena, and Missouri's Phil Pressey (center) felt it as Markel Brown tried to pry the ball away.
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To reach Terez A. Paylor, send email to tpaylor@kcstar.com.
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