Stellar Backcourt Play Helps Boost OSU Over UCF

The Cowboys completed the regular-season series sweep of UCF.

OSU traveled to Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday night to take on the Golden Knights for these two teams' second matchup of the season. Oklahoma State took the first matchup in Stillwater earlier this season and completed the sweep with a 111-104 overtime win in this matchup on the road. 

It was a back-and-forth battle the whole game, and with 11 seconds left, UCF’s Chris Johnson would hit a three-pointer to tie the game. Jaylen Curry and Anthony Roy would both have opportunities to take the lead back, but two missed shots resulted in the game going into overtime. 

However, in overtime, the Cowboys would be able to pull away and put this game away for good. This was an impressive win against an NCAA Tournament hopeful, and it came because of the tremendous play of the OSU backcourt. 

Anthony Roy once again led the scoring charge for Oklahoma State, as he had 27 points on 50% shooting. The sharpshooter hit three shots from beyond the arc and was aggressive at getting to the foul line. He took advantage of the free throws he took, making 10 of the 11. 

Cowboy point guard Kanye Clary also had himself a night. Clary had 23 points, shooting 50% from beyond the arc and adding five rebounds and three assists to his resume for the night. Clary also used his aggressive style of play to get to the free-throw line, shooting eight foul shots and making seven of them.

It wasn’t just the starting Cowboy backcourt who led the way, but the reserves picked up right where Roy and Clary left off. Curry had 16 points of his own on 50% shooting from the floor, and did a little bit of everything for the Pokes. He had three rebounds, two assists and even had two steals on the defensive side of the ball. 

These three guards made this win possible, especially since the Cowboys are without their star big man in Parsa Fallah. OSU’s only hope for the postseason seems to be winning the Big 12 Tournament, and with guard play like this, that goal doesn’t seem impossible. 

The Pokes will have a chance to prove this in their last game of the season against No. 7 Houston on Saturday morning. Houston has one of the best defenses in the country and will be a great test to see if OSU’s standout guards have a shot to take them all the way.