Oklahoma State Cowboys slay DePaul Blue Demons in 76 Classic
Oklahoma State University kicked off its campaign in the 76 Classic tournament on a bright note. Led by Marshall Moses, the Cowboys downed DePaul University 60-56 at the Anaheim Convention Centre on Thursday.
The talented forward fired a career-high 27 points, including two free throws that sealed the win for OSU. He shot 11-of-15 from the field and was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Keiton Page
added 11 points for the Cowboys, who notched their fourth victory in as many games. Mike Stovall topscored for DePaul with 13 points while Jeremiah Kelly, Krys Faber and Brandon Young contributed 10 each.
OSU dictated the tempo early on, leading by as many as six points. But DePaul mounted a rally towards the end of the half to tie the scores at 27-27 at the break.
The Cowboys again led by six points in the second half but a series of turnovers allowed the Blue Demons to stay within striking distance. DePaul enjoyed its first lead 51-49 entering the last four minutes
of play.
However, it proved to be their final taste of the lead as OSU rallied back behind the efforts of Moses. He and Jean-Paul Olukemi led a 6-0 surge to turn a 50-52 deficit into a 56-52 lead with 1:07 left
to play.
The Blue Demons answered with a basket on the other end but Darrell Williams restored OSU's four-point lead by converting his two free throws. After DePaul came to within two again 56-58, Moses was sent
to the free throw line. The forward calmly sank his two free throws to secure the win for the Cowboys.
"I'm the oldest now. Just leading them and trying to win the game. Tonight was great. I feel pretty decent. I have to do it again," Moses told
NewsOK.
"I have to do it again for it to be consistency or it's just like I've been in the past."
OSU head coach Travis Ford praised his prized player after his outstanding performance.
"Marshall Moses was just better than anyone else on the court tonight. He played like an All-American. He took a team on his shoulders when we couldn't get anything else going," Ford said.
Ford, however, was not happy with his team’s 25 turnovers.
“We were our own worst enemy. Our guards have to make much better decisions than they're making. I don't want to take anything away from DePaul, but most of it was decision making,” the former University
of Kentucky point guard said.
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