Oklahoma State capped its opening homestand with a dominant 118-68 win over Queens.
The 118 points scored and 50-point margin of victory are both highs in the Steve Lutz era of Cowboy basketball.
Every Cowboy got ample opportunity to contribute. The OSU (2-0) bench scored 74 points in the rout, and the ball was being shared throughout the whole team. Whether it was an assist, rebound or steal, the ball was never stagnant for too long. There were six players with three or more assists for the Cowboys.
Lutz was happy with the number of players involved.
“I hadn’t looked at that,” Lutz said. “That’s amazing. 74 bench points. We do know we had six guys in double figures… that’s a byproduct of the 30 assists on 44 made baskets. They shared the ball with one another, and they were not selfish.
“… Which is fun to see, because if you’re making the right plays on both ends of the basketball, then you’ve got a chance to win some games and go have a great season.”
OSU started the game hot from 3-point range, making the first 7 of 9 from beyond the arc. The fast start was led by Andrija Grbovic, who drilled his first four 3-point shots.
Grbovic finished the night with a career and team-high 17 points. He also collected five rebounds in his 16 minutes of action.
“I feel great,” Grbovic said. “Obviously, this is my career high in college basketball. So, I mean, I try to be my best every game. I try to be 100% to help my teammates to do whatever it takes to get the win. So this is the most important, not just the score, the basket, but be there to help the defense, be in the gaps and box out getting the rebound.”
It was a different story for the Queens (2-1). The Royals missed their first 14 3-point shots, and it didn’t get much better. Queens finished the night 7-of-34 from beyond the arc and 24-of-68 on total field goals.
Queens scored 103 and 96 points in its first two games of the season. The Royals’ offensive production came to a halt in their third road game in five days.
After OSU’s win on Monday against Incarnate Word, Lutz voiced frustration over the team’s drop-off in the second half. This time around, Lutz was happy with the full 40 minutes.
“We talked about it at halftime and just said we have to learn from our mistakes,” Lutz said. “And I thought that we did a good job of coming out with basically the same intensity that we did in the in the first half that we did in the second half… It was more of a mindset.”
OSU will look to carry that mindset on the road when it faces an SEC opponent, Texas A&M.