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Oklahoma State basketball beats West Virginia for first win in Big 12 play
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- Oklahoma State basketball beats West Virginia for first win in Big 12 play
STILLWATER — Out of all the big plays Brandon Garrison made, perhaps the biggest was simply picking up a loose ball.
Sure, the two free throws he made as a result of the ensuing foul with 27 seconds left were big, too, as Oklahoma State 's 6-foot-11 freshman helped the Cowboys (9-11, 1-6 Big 12) seal their first Big 12 win of the season, 70-66 over West Virginia (7-13, 2-5) on Saturday afternoon at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
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It was a much-needed win and a perfect conclusion to a Remember the Ten game that came with the always-emotional reverence of the lives lost in the team's plane crash 23 years ago.
But it also brought a bit of relief for a team that has been so close, but so far from a conference victory over the last month.
More: Focus is bigger than basketball for Oklahoma State's Mike Boynton in Remember the Ten game
OSU center Brandon Garrison (23) puts up a shot against West Virginia during the first half of a 70-66 win Saturday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.
"Sure feels good to win," OSU coach Mike Boynton said as he sat down for his postgame press conference. "(Two things) I'm most proud of… one is the kids. They keep showing up. The thing I tell them is it's hard to beat somebody who keeps showing up. The mindset is at some point, the other person's not gonna show up.
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"The other thing I'm most proud of is I thought today we did the program well by representing the families today. It's critically important that that never is lost. We won't play a more important game, no matter how many more we play this year."
Garrison finished with 20 points and point guard Javon Small added 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists as the Cowboys put an end to their six-game losing streak.
"This could change the whole trajectory of the season," freshman Eric Dailey Jr. said of the win. "Get one and keep it going, keep it rolling."
The Cowboys are now 6-1 under Boynton in Remember the Ten games.
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Here are three takeaways from the OSU victory:
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Late shooting sparks OSU win
When Jarius Hicklen made a 3-pointer with 14:46 to play, he put Oklahoma State up 43-39. Over the next 10-plus minutes, OSU missed six straight 3-pointers and saw West Virginia pull ahead 61-54.
When Dailey pulled down an offensive rebound and hit John-Michael Wright for an open look near the top of the key, the lid was finally lifted.
Moments later, Garrison grabbed a rebound and fired a long outlet pass to Dailey, who quickly shot a pass across the court to Bryce Thompson for a transition 3-pointer from the corner that gave OSU a one-point lead.
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"My ears was plugged, but once he hit it, they opened up," Garrison said. "It was just so loud."
But the Cowboys weren't finished from deep.
Just as the clock ticked under a minute to play, Small caught a pass and hit a long 3 that put the Cowboys on top for good, 67-66.
At one point, OSU was 5-of-23 from 3-point range, but hit three of their last four to finish strong — which has been a weakness at times for this team — and close out the win.
Small was 5-of-6 from the floor and 2-of-3 from 3-point range.
"Phenomenal," Dailey said. "He led the team in the right direction today. Crazy on the boards. Twelve rebounds for a point guard is a lot. Almost had a triple-double. He put us in the right positions today. That's what we need from Javon. That's what we need him to do every game."
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More: Oklahoma State basketball falls short vs. TCU, drops to 0-6 in Big 12 play
Brandon Garrison shows up strong
About eight minutes into the game, Garrison lofted a soft pass to Dailey Jr., who finished off the layup while drawing a foul.
Dailey added the free throw for a 14-11 OSU lead, and a big day for Garrison had only just begun.
The Del City product finished with 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. He was 8-of-10 at the free throw line, hitting all four of his attempts he had in the final 90 seconds — the first two tying the game and the second two giving them a three-point edge with 27 seconds to play.
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He finished possessions with strong dunks, dished out passes to open players and never seemed to slow down on either end of the floor.
"I've been on him pretty hard in practice," Boynton said. "Really, it's because I believe so much in who he can become. I believe in who he is now, but I believe even more — he's a baby. Literally, he's playing against real adults out there. And he's playing with more confidence and more courage as the game goes along."
Jan 27, 2024; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Javon Small (12) controls the ball against West Virginia Mountaineers guard Kerr Kriisa (3) during the first half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
Boynton's Saturday night was already planned.
Would he be celebrating the team's first Big 12 win with his players or his family?
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No, he intended to spend his evening with the Kansas Jayhawks .
The Big 12 provides little time to celebrate, especially when your next game is in Kansas ' legendary Phog Allen Fieldhouse.
Three of OSU's next four games will be on the road against teams currently ranked 11th or better, starting with a Tuesday night trip to No. 7 Kansas set for an 8 p.m. tip on ESPN.
That is followed by a home game against Kansas State — which was unranked but received votes in the latest poll. Then come back-to-back trips to fourth-ranked Houston and No. 11 OU for the first edition of Bedlam this season.
Kansas defeated OSU 90-66 when they met less than two weeks ago.
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"There's no time (to celebrate)," Boynton said. "It's a hard business, man. Bill Self's really good. And I think they lost today, so there you go.
"I'm gonna try to watch as much film on Kansas as possible, including our last game, and see if we can prepare to play against a really good team with a really good coach."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State basketball beats West Virginia for first Big 12 win
