Fallah, Clary return to lineup as OSU dominates BCU 103-77
OSU head into Big 12 play 12-1 as its roster nears full strength
As Parsa Fallah heard his name called through the Gallagher-Iba Arena sound system during team lineup announcements, he took a moment to embrace everything.
Monday marked Fallah’s first game back since December 13, when he exacerbated a back injury in a loss to Bedlam rival Oklahoma. It had been only 16 days, but Fallah, the Cowboys’ starting center, said it felt longer.
So, as Fallah high-fived his teammates and ran onto the court, he said he relished the moment.
“It feels great man,” Fallah said. “I missed the team. I missed playing. To just be able to be back and help the team however they need me to, it feels good.”
And OSU fans and players certainly relished his return.
OSU made easy work of Bethune-Cookman, cruising to a 103-77 win Monday at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Fallah finished with a double-double, logging 12 points and 10 rebounds, which coach Steve Lutz joked postgame “could have easily had 20 (had he not) missed a bunch of (free throws).” Guard Anthony Roy scored a season-high 27 while point guard Kanye Clary logged 10 in his first game back from injury since December 18.
Overall, Lutz said, it was a fitting end to nonconference play. But perhaps most importantly, it signified what the Cowboys (12-1) can be with key players, such as Fallah and Clary, back in the lineup.
What started as a sloppy contest from both teams swiftly transitioned into utter dominance from OSU. The Cowboys closed the first half on a 6-0 run, only to open the second half outscoring the Wildcats (3-10) 17-9. And OSU’s grasp of the game only strengthened from there.
Fallah’s presence in the paint alone opened scoring opportunities for a bevy of other pieces. Five Cowboys finished with double-digit totals in the scoring column — while forward Christian Coleman finishing only 2 short with 8.
“Parsa makes a big difference,” Roy said. “I think that with him in there, it gives him more paint presence, and it allows us (guards) to stretch the floor, and we just complement each other really well with him on the floor.”
The vitality behind Fallah and Clary’s availability magnified as the game progressed. OSU’s scoring ability has seldom been a concern thus far. But offensive fluency, at times, has been without the aforementioned tandem in the lineup.
That issue was solved Monday. The Cowboys were still without forward Leftteris Mantzoukas and center Andrija Vukovic — whose injuries would be taken “day to day”, Lutz clarified — but Fallah and Clary’s presence alone made such absences a footnote.
Additionally, OSU’s defense held BCU in check for most of the night.
While the Wildcats shot 46% from the floor, the Cowboys forced 19 turnovers, leading to 31 points off turnovers. Albeit against a lesser-tier opponent than what will be endured in the Big 12, OSU’s defenses displayed flashes of what Lutz has preached routinely.
Now comes conference play. Awaiting is a gauntlet of a 18-game stretch against Big 12 opponents.
“You should never take for granted being 12-1,” Lutz said. “I still think that we have a lot of room for growth on the defensive end. But the fact of the matter is that other than the Bedlam game, which was obviously a big one, we’ve handled our business, and figured out ways to win. We’ve just got to continue that moving forward. We’re walking into the Big 12 — the best league in the country. And that’s no easy task.”
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Victories haven't always come with ease. But so far, despite defensive woes and recurrent injuries, OSU is off to its best start since the 2013-14 season. That, Lutz said, is something that can't be overlooked.
The Cowboys open Big 12 play at No. 15 Texas Tech on Saturday at noon. Any other glaring woes will be exposed then. Minimizing that, however, is an essential focus, Lutz said.
And nearing full health certainly helps manage that.
“When we defend, rebound and take care of the basketball, we’re really good,” Roy said. “Right now, and for the duration of the season, we’ve done it in stints. So, once we learn how to do it for a full 40 minutes, we’ll be a really good team.”
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