KU notes: Oklahoma State’s Phil Forte plays through flu
When Oklahoma State junior guard Phil Forte woke up on Saturday morning, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to play that afternoon against Kansas. Forte had been diagnosed with the flu, and after a visit to the doctor on Friday, he woke up feeling lousy.
“I really didn’t think I was going to play,” Forte said. “When I woke up (Saturday) morning, it was the worst I’ve felt in the last two days.”
Forte, who entered Saturday averaging 17.0 points per game, decided to give it a go. And while Kansas limited the Big 12’s second-leading scorer to just 13 points and one three-pointer, the Jayhawks couldn’t take advantage in a 67-62 loss.
KU held Forte to just one field-goal attempt in the first half — he also made six free throws. But Forte’s first three-pointer gave Oklahoma State a 44-42 lead early in the second half.
“I think he only got off one good look against us,” Kansas coach Bill Self said, “and of course, he made us pay when we didn’t hedge the ball screen.”
▪ Freshman wing Kelly Oubre continued his recent trend of quiet offense on the road. Oubre, who had one point in 14 minutes, is averaging just 4.4 points per game in five Big 12 road contests. He’s averaging 14.2 points in five Big 12 games at Allen Fieldhouse.
“I don’t think he played as well,” Self said. “Kelly’s a really good player when he’s playing with energy, and defending, and rebounding and doing those things. (His) offense comes easier. And I didn’t think that anybody really did those things very well today.”
▪ Kansas dropped to 33-33 all-time at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Jayhawks have lost four of six in Stillwater, dating back to 2008, and Self is 3-5 overall at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
First half
Key play: Sophomore wing Brannen Greene drilled his third three-pointer of the game with 42 seconds left. The shot gave Kansas a 41-30 halftime lead.
Key stat: KU was seven of nine from three-point range.
Second half
Key play: Oklahoma State’s Phil Forte swished a three that punctuated a 14-1 run to open the second half, giving the Cowboys a 44-42 lead with 16:29 left.
Key stat: Oklahoma State outrebounded KU 26-15 in the second half.
To reach Rustin Dodd, call 816-234-4937 or send email to rdodd@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @rustindodd.
This story was originally published February 7, 2015 at 7:14 PM with the headline "KU notes: Oklahoma State’s Phil Forte plays through flu."