Houston Christian faces another tall task vs. improving Oklahoma State offense

Field Level Media|published: Thu 23rd November, 22:29 2023

Nov 20, 2023; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys forward Justin McBride (21) and forward Eric Dailey Jr. (2) slap hands after a play during the second half against the New Orleans Privateers at Gallagher-Iba Arena. credits: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

After dropping consecutive games by a combined four points, Oklahoma State found its way back into the win column on Monday, beating New Orleans, 96-68.

Now, the Cowboys are seeking back-to-back wins for the first time this season, heading into Friday's matchup against Houston Christian. Defensive effort is likely to be a continued focus for Oklahoma State (2-3) against the Huskies, who average 74.7 points per game.

"As much as I feel like we're better offensively, I'm still a defensive guy at my core," Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton said after New Orleans' Jordan Johnson scored 23 points against the Cowboys. "When you have a guy who gets as much volume as (Johnson) does, what you try to do, and I don't think we did a great job of this, is trying to make them as inefficient as possible."

On the offensive end, Oklahoma State's improvement is visible. The Cowboys, who mustered just 59 points in a disappointing loss to Abilene Christian on Nov. 6, scored a season-best 96 points on Monday. Three different players who have seen action in at least three games average double figures in points, as the Cowboys shoot 45.5 percent from the floor.

"As the game goes, possessions add up," forward Eric Dailey Jr. said after beating New Orleans. "So the more possessions we win, (we can) win more ball games like that."

Houston Christian enters the matchup with an 0-3 record, having taken losses to BYU, FIU, and UTSA.

Tuesday's 89-87 defeat at the hands of UTSA saw the Huskies cut an 11-point deficit to two points on a free throw from Michael Imariagbe with six seconds left. Imariagbe intentionally missed the second attempt and the offensive rebound was pulled down by Bruce Carpenter. But he missed a floater at the buzzer, keeping Houston Christian winless.

Marcus Greene leads the Houston Christian scoring attack, at 16.7 points per game. Jay Alvarez, who tallied 19 points in 22 minutes against UTSA, enters with 15.0 points per contest, and Imariagbe and Bonke Maring lead the Huskies each averaging 6.0 rebounds per game.

Javon Small is Oklahoma State's high scorer, with 16.0 points per game, and John-Michael Wright contributes at 10.4 points per game. Quion Williams is the Cowboys' leading rebounder with 6.0 rebounds per contest.

—Field Level Media