Field Level Media
Dec 29, 2019
Thomas Dziagwa had 11 of his 14 points in the first half as Oklahoma State won in its home state for the first time in more than a month, blowing out Southeastern Louisiana 82-31 on Sunday afternoon in Stillwater, Okla.
The Cowboys (9-3) had dropped their last two games at Gallagher-Iba Arena while also falling to Minnesota in Tulsa in their last game. All those setbacks came during a four-game span when they were without sophomore guard Isaac Likekele, who had been out with an undisclosed illness.
Likekele had nine points, three rebounds, four assists and a steal in 19 minutes, making 4 of 5 shots. Prior to his illness he was leading the Cowboys in scoring (13.7) and assists (5.0).
Oklahoma State steadily built its lead throughout the first half, outscoring Southeastern Louisiana 34-11 over the final 12:20 to take a 47-19 advantage into the locker room. The Lions (3-9) only once made consecutive baskets, shooting 25.8 percent in the first half and 22.4 percent for the game, missing 19 of 20 3-point attempts.
The Lions got 14 points and 12 rebounds from sophomore forward Tyron Brewer, who had a career-high 30 in their previous game at Ole Miss.
Dziagwa, a senior guard, hit 4 of 7 from beyond the arc to improve his season perimeter efficiency to 42.9 percent. The rest of the Cowboys were 4 of 20 from 3-point range as they shot 45 percent overall thanks to a 38-16 edge in points in the paint.
Oklahoma State will face much tougher foes when 2020 begins, opening Big 12 play on Saturday at 2019 NCAA runner-up Texas Tech and then hosting West Virginia -- which beat No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday -- on Jan. 6.
SE Louisiana fell to 0-9 this season against Division I opponents.
--Field Level Media