Before the game even started, this game made headlines in and around the Big 12. Due to some dismal offensive performances in recent games, Bruce Weber benched star guard Marcus Foster at the start of the game, removing him from the starting lineup.

For the first half, at least, it seemed to work.

This game had a lot of scoring, right from the outset. Just 11 seconds into the game, Justin Edwards got the Wildcats on the board. From there, back and forth the scoring would go, as Phil Forte would score 4 early points for the Cowboys, but Kansas State would take a 7 – 6 lead into the first media timeout, thanks to a three pointer from Edwards.

As the first half wore on, Kansas State’s Nigel Johnson and Oklahoma State’s Tavarius Shine each scored 5 five points, and the Wildcats continued to lead the Cowboys. Another three pointer from Shine, this time at the 12:29 mark, gave Oklahoma State a 17 – 14 lead.

Phil Forte would make back-to-back three pointers to give Oklahoma State a 6-point lead, at 23 – 17, but Kansas State wouldn’t go away quietly.

Oklahoma State went cold from the field for a span of over three minutes, allowing Kansas State to climb back into the game. Thomas Gipson (6) and Justin Edwards (4) scored the last 10 points for the Wildcats, as the Wildcats closed the half on a 10 – 2 run to take a 29 – 27 lead into the break.

Marcus Foster was a non-factor in the first half, as he was held off the score sheet in limited floor time.

In the second half, Kansas State stretched their lead to 4 points early on, thanks to a Gipson lay-up. Anthony Hickey made 7 straight points for the Cowboys, as they reclaimed the lead, 36 – 35, with 17:11 to play in the half.

Kansas State would find themselves in a scoring slump of over 4 minutes, which allowed Oklahoma State to stretch their lead to 12 points. Phil Forte helped stretch the lead by scoring five straight points, and Michael Cobbins made two costless throws to cap off the run.

Malek Harris would end Kansas State’s scoring drought with a lay-up at the 13:56 mark, but Le’Bryan Nash would make another lay-up to keep Oklahoma State rolling right along. Forte made a jumper, and Jeff Newberry made a three-pointer to give Oklahoma State their biggest lead of the game, at 17 points.

Throughout the rest of the game, the Wildcats wouldn’t get any closer than 14 points. Whenever Kansas State made a basket, Oklahoma State always had an answer.

The game was never in question for the Cowboys in the second half. While the first half was a tight battle, the second half was not even close. The Oklahoma State Cowboys cruised to a 61 – 47 victory in the Big 12 opener.

Kansas State (7 – 7, 0 – 1) have some things to figure out if they want to salvage their season. In the preseason polls, the Wildcats were projected to finish 4th in the conference. However, they haven’t performed well this season, evident by the 7 losses on their resume.

Forward Thomas Gipson led the way for the Wildcats, scoring a game-high 14 points in a losing effort. Justin Edwards added in 11 points and 5 rebounds.

The bigger story for Kansas State on Saturday was the play of sophomore Marcus Foster. He only played 14 minutes off the bench, and with the exception of 1 turnover and 1 personal foul, his stat line was filled with zeros. Foster was 0-for-4 from the field, recording 0 points for the Wildcats. On the bench, his body language wasn’t positive, and negative body language leads to negative performance.

If Foster can’t turn his game around, the Wildcats are in big trouble going forwards this season.

Phil Forte led the way for all scorers, scoring a game-high 20 points to pace the Cowboys. Le’Bryan Nash recorded 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the win. The Cowboys had four different players reach double figures in scoring.

In front of 11,185 fans inside the Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State opened up 2015 and Big 12 play with an impressive home victory.

If the Cowboys (11 – 2, 1 – 0) are going to make some noise in the conference this season, they need to find a viable third scorer to complement Nash and Forte. Anthony Hickey (10 points), Jeff Newberry (10 points), and Tavarius Shine (8 points) all showed potential against Kansas State. If either of these three can show some steady production, the Cowboys have a great shot at besting their preseason prediction of an 8th place finish in the conference.

The road doesn’t get any easier for the Wildcats, as they welcome TCU to town in their next outing. The Cowboys, meanwhile, travel to take on Iowa State in their next contest.   

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About the author
Tyler Bennett
I am a Canadian who writes about U.S. college sports...ironic, right? With an undergrad degree in Sport Management, I thought it was only fitting that I write about sports. As a Canadian, I spell words funny, use eh excessively, and apologize profusely, so I am sorry in advance.