Cade Cunningham, # 4 Oklahoma State upset by # 12 Oregon State in Round 2 | Launderer report

Notable player statistics

• Ethan Thompson, G, OR ST: 26 PTS, 7 REB
• Jarod Lucas, G, OR ST: 15 PTS, 6 REB
• Maurice Calloo, F, OR ST: 15 PTS, 5 REB, 3 of 5 3PT
• Cade Cunningham, G, OK ST: 24 PTS, 5 STL, 4 REB, 3 AST
• Avery Anderson III, G, OK ST: 16 PTS, 4 STL, 4 AST, 3 REB

Ethan Thompson’s clutch set holds Oklahoma state charge

Sometimes all it takes is warmth at the right time to change the course of an entire season.

Oregon State was entirely mediocre with a score of 11-11 overall and 7-9 in the Pac-12 game at the end of February when something changed. The Beavers have won three of their last four regular season games, then earned three straight wins over tournament teams from UCLA, Oregon and Colorado in the conference tournament to claim the Pac-12 crown.

They stayed connected during the Big Dance with a 14-point victory over Tennessee and picked up where they left off on Sunday by taking a double-digit lead in the first half.

It was the bench that set the tone early on, as Calloo took deep fire and Dearon Tucker hit four shots before intermission. The fact that it was Calloo (5.2 PPG) who provided the spark underscored just how different this Beavers team was from the one that has covered much of the schedule.

The contributions from the bench were all the more important as top scorer Thompson entered and left the lineup with big problems. Jarod Lucas took over for the starting lineup by hitting from afar, while Warith Alatishe and Roman Silva battled for the boards.

Despite those efforts, Oklahoma State reduced the lead to as little as two with a push in the second half and looked ready to take over down the home stretch. Instead, Thompson returned to the ground and helped weather the storm by avoiding turnovers as he broke the press and calmly made 15 of 16 free throws in heavy whistling play.

He also hit a clutch jumper over swarming Cunningham defense and managed six shots from the charity strip in the final two minutes to clinch the victory.

Oklahoma State’s frenzied comeback falls short

Cunningham is still in the spotlight when Oklahoma State takes court, but that was especially the case after he went just 3 of 14 from the field in his first career NCAA tournament game on Friday.

Avery Anderson III came to the rescue in that victory over Liberty, but found himself struggling early against the Beavers and was relatively calm in the first half. That, along with more field struggles for Cunningham, created problems for the Cowboys as they fell 18 behind before intermission.

Cunningham hit some threes early in the second period to help reverse the momentum, but the biggest difference was Oklahoma State’s decision to reduce defensive pressure. He worked his way through the game forcing 20 turnovers in all, many of which came when Thompson was on the bench with foul issues as Oregon State’s primary ball handler.

Anderson applied much of that defensive pressure and helped create opportunities on the other end. His ability to reach the free throw line and convert also helped the Cowboys recover well before the critical moment.

Yet the state of Oregon had an answer whenever it looked like the state of Oklahoma would finally take over. Cunningham helped make a final push by assisting a Keylan Boone three, stealing the ball and hitting another triple to cut the deficit to three, but the Cowboys were completely out of control down the home stretch.

They didn’t make a single basket in the 3:40 final of the game while forcing the issue against a stable defense, which ultimately ended their season.

And after?

The Beavers face the Chicago Ramblers’ eighth-seeded Loyola in the Sweet 16 next weekend.