STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - TCU coach Trent Johnson was matter-of-fact about his team’s blowout loss to Oklahoma State.
“It didn’t exactly get away from us,” Johnson said. “They were just better.”
Marcus Smart scored 20 points to help No. 9 Oklahoma State defeat TCU 82-50 on Wednesday night. The reigning Big 12 player of the week also had eight rebounds and five assists for the Cowboys (15-2, 3-1).
Markel Brown scored 14 and Le’Bryan Nash added 13 points and eight rebounds for Oklahoma State, which shot 47 percent from the field to win for the eighth time in nine games and improve to 9-0 at home.
Karviar Shepherd scored 13 points, and Amric Fields and Michael Williams each added 11 for TCU (9-7, 0-4) in its most lopsided loss of the season. The Horned Frogs were blown out for the second straight game - they lost 88-62 at Baylor on Saturday - but Johnson said he wouldn’t worry too much about the margin. Fields is still getting back into shape after recovering from a torn ACL and a broken hand, and TCU just played two of the most talented teams on its schedule.
“The kids’ spirits are as good as they can be because they understand,” Johnson said.
Oklahoma State held TCU to 29 percent shooting. Kyan Anderson, who entered leading the Horned Frogs with 15.6 points per game, finished with eight on 2-for-8 shooting.
The Cowboys have been concerned about the boards since post player Michael Cobbins went down for the season with a ruptured left Achilles tendon late last month, but OSU outrebounded the Horned Frogs 46-33.
Oklahoma State led by 14 at halftime before stretching its lead in the early minutes of the second half. A pair of free throws by Kamari Murphy extended OSU’s advantage to 48-29, and a tip-in by Smart pushed the Cowboys’ lead past 20 points for the first time.
A lob from Smart led to a two-handed jam by Brown that gave the Cowboys a 71-47 edge, and OSU cruised from there.
Smart hit three 3-pointers in the first 4 minutes of the game to give Oklahoma State a 9-4 lead. A fast-break jam by Murphy gave the Cowboys a 28-15 lead with 6:55 left in the first half.
The Cowboys shot 55 percent from the field in the first half and made 7 of 11 3-pointers. Smart scored nine points before the break and Brown added eight. Shepherd and Williams each had seven points in the first half for TCU.
The Cowboys were tougher inside and cranked up their defense in the second half, and TCU had no answer. Johnson said he thought his team put forth a solid effort but simply didn’t have the talent to make the game closer.
“The last 10-12 minutes were just skewed, so I don’t pay attention to getting beat by 30 as opposed to knowing that the guys that I have to have play were out there and got (down) only 18 or 19,” he said.
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