Newberry scores 19 in Oklahoma State's 86-72 defeat of UAPB
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) Jeff Newberry has challenged himself this season to be a difference-maker for Oklahoma State, and his aggressive determination is paying off.
Newberry scored 19 points and came down with a career-high 12 rebounds for his first-ever double-double to help lead Oklahoma State to an 86-72 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Monday night.
He also contributed four steals, two assists, two blocks and had no turnovers in 32 minutes of action, before fouling out with 2:48 to go.
''That's what I'm trying to make my identity this year,'' said the 6-2 senior guard. ''I'm going to go out there and I'm going to lay it on the line. I want to guard the best player, I want to defend. If you need me to score, I want to score. I want to attack the basket, I want to block shots, I want to steal the ball. I want to do it all.''
Newberry also hit the floor hard on at least two occasions, getting up slowly each time while wincing in pain, but played through it.
''He was one the big reasons we were able to pull it out,'' said Cowboys coach Travis Ford. ''I thought he was tremendous on a night where some other guys didn't have their A game. I think he's played well and he's showing some good senior leadership.''
Newcomers Jawun Evans and Chris Olivier each added 13 points for the Cowboys (2-0). Evans also had seven assists, while Olivier also had eight rebounds.
But Ford wasn't overjoyed with the effort, especially on defense.
''We were just really sloppy with the basketball early and then we missed a lot of easy opportunities, and then we let our offense affect our defense,'' Ford said.
JoVaughn Love scored 21 points and added seven rebounds, while Trent Whiting chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds for Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-1).
After taking a 32-31 lead into halftime, the Cowboys broke open a close game with a 10-0 run over a 3:03 span early in the second half, going up 49-37 after Newberry sank two free throws with 14:31 remaining.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff never got closer than seven points the rest of the way, pulling to within 69-62 after Love's 3-pointer with 5:23 left.
Oklahoma State jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, but the Golden Lions battled back, utilizing an 11-0 run over a four and a half-minute span to go ahead 11-7 when Love connected on a 3-pointer with 13:09 left in the first half. That stretch was helped by OSU missing six consecutive shots, but following a time out, the Cowboys bounced back. A 9-1 run gave Oklahoma State back the advantage, with Phil Forte's 3 making it 21-15 with 9:50 remaining.
Forte, who scored 24 points in the Cowboys' season-opening 91-57 win over Tennessee-Martin last Friday, wound up with 10 points on the night on just 3-for-11 shooting.
Pine Bluff briefly regained the lead 31-30 after Jaquan Lynch's 3-pointer from the right sideline with 47 seconds to go, but Anthony Allen was credited with a basket following a goaltending call with 34 seconds on the clock to give Oklahoma State a 32-31 edge heading into halftime.
TIP INS
Arkansas-Pine Bluff: After opening the season on the road at Seattle University last Friday, the Golden Lions will have had 17 straight road games before finally playing at home on Jan. 16. By the time they tip off in Pine Bluff, they will have traveled 27,719 miles.
Oklahoma State shot 31 of 42 (73.8 percent) on free throws for the night, although they connected on just 5 of 10 over a six-minute span of the second half. The Cowboys also controlled the boards, out-rebounding Arkansas-Pine Bluff 45-31.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT
''We played exactly how we practiced (Sunday), I mean identical,'' said OSU coach Travis Ford. ''We were throwing the ball everywhere, we weren't matching up in transition, our defense was lax for the first time, and it carried over, which for me, was the most disappointing thing. This team, we've got to be locked in, we don't have a lot of room for error.''
UP NEXT:
Arkansas-Pine Bluff faces Michigan State on the road on Friday.
Oklahoma State will face Towson on Thursday as part of the Charleston Classic.
