Cowboys Fall To Golden Eagles

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sean Sutton says he can’t remember being more embarrassed than he was during Thursday night’s 15-point loss to Oral Roberts University in the All-College Classic. The Oklahoma State head coach went head-to-head against younger brother Scott Sutton’s ORU squad and came out on the losing end of a 74-59 decision at the Ford Center.

“Tonight I was just stunned by this performance,” said Sean Sutton, whose Cowboys were outscored 33-12 in the last 16 minutes of the first half and never recovered. They trailed 39-22 at halftime and could get no closer than 13 points afterward.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this embarrassed, but that’s part of the game,” Sutton said.

Oklahoma State is now 5-5, which is the Cowboys’ worst start through 10 games since opening the 1987-88 season under Leonard Hamilton with five wins and five losses.

The Cowboys will face another stiff challenge Saturday when they host Texas-Arlington, 8-1, at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Oklahoma State led 10-6 – thanks in large part to back-to-back Marcus Dove three-pointers – in the game’s first four minutes. But after opening the game 4-of-8 shooting the Cowboys went cold, and made just 3of their final 16 shots in the first half as the Golden Eagles went on a 33-12 run to take the commanding halftime lead.

The Cowboys shot a dismal 29.2 percent from the field and turned the ball over 12 times in the first half. OSU would finish the game shooting 36.4 percent but was never in the game after halftime.

“I thought Scott and his staff did a great job. They out-executed us, out-played us and out-coached us,” Sean Sutton said. We got in a funk early in the game that we never got out of. I thought they played with more poise, and they played tougher than we did. We just could never get anything going.”

Freshman James Anderson, who led the Cowboys with a 19.3 scoring average, was held scoreless for the first time in his career. He only attempted five shots and turned the ball over four times.

ORU’s 6-9 Yemi Ogunoye took on the task of shutting down the Cowboys’ leading scorer.

“I think he’s the best defender in the country – hands down,” Scott Sutton said of his senior. “If someone can name me a better defender, I’ll argue all night because what he’s done this year is remarkable. He basically takes the other team’s best player out of the game. He’s done that all year. I think he’s the best. I really do.”

Scott Sutton, who played at Oklahoma State while his brother Sean was an assistant to their dad Eddie, said no one realizes how tough the game was for the two brothers.

“I’m really proud of my players. I thought they competed their tails off. I thought they played with a great deal of toughness, especially coming off a very hard defeat,” Scott Sutton said. “I thought they came out tonight with a great deal of energy and compassion. It’s a great win for our program to be able to beat a team in a program like Oklahoma State with what they’ve been able to accomplish ever since my father took over there in the early ’90s.

“Personally, for me, it wasn’t a lot of fun. I didn’t enjoy it one bit. I think sometimes people who have criticized my father in the past for not playing whether it be former assistant coaches or family members, they don’t have a clue how difficult it is to compete against someone you love.

“I hurt for Sean and his program because I’ve got a lot of friends on that staff… but I’m really excited and proud of my team and my program.”

Dove led the Cowboys with 18 points, and played the second half after suffering a knee injury late in the first half. Byron Eaton scored all 15 of his points in the second half, and Terrel Harris added 10 points.

ORU had five players score in double figures – Robert Jarvis (21), Moses Ehambe (15), Adam Liberty (13), Shawn King (11) and Marcus Lewis (11).

Sean Sutton took the blame for his team not playing the way he expected them to against ORU.

“We’re not very tough right now, and that’s my fault. I’m going to have to do a better job in that area. I thought Scott did a great job tonight and I did a terrible job with my kids.”