Related Story: OSU basketball notebook: Cowboys take care of the ball
Or not.
In three games since moving to the point, Page has scored 27, 21 and, most recently, 23 points.
Page has scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games for the second time in his career and, in a Big 12 opener Wednesday night against Texas Tech, he teamed with Le'Bryan Nash (who matched a career-high with 21 points) to lift shorthanded OSU to a 67-59 victory.
Every person on both benches - and maybe every person in Gallagher-Iba Arena - knew Page was the Cowboy who would be taking game-deciding shots at the end. He made them anyway, scoring 16 of his team's last 17 points.
Page eluded a triangle-and-two pursuer to score 10 points in the last 2:40, including two critical 3-point baskets after Texas Tech had cut a 13-point deficit to two and three, respectively.
"He's a good ballplayer," Ford said. "He's an overachiever. He's a kid that understands how to score. I think our guys did a good job of screening for him tonight to get him open and he understands the game. He understands how to get his shots off."
Page wasn't a marked man in his first two seasons because he was playing alongside guards who drew more attention. But he was a marked man last season and Ford said he hopes Page learned from that experience.
"And he's got more offensive weapons hopefully around him," Ford said. "But he just understands the game. He has a great feel for the game and then we do a lot to try to get him shots, too."
Ford laughed a little when he said it. He could afford a feel-good moment because OSU won its first game since it was announced that junior starter John-Paul Olukemi will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
"Good win for our team," Ford said.
It was about as close to a must-win game as a conference opener can be. OSU went 7-6 while playing (according to the RPI) the Big 12's toughest nonconference schedule. The Cowboys, in their quest to stay above .500, couldn't afford to lose at home to a Texas Tech team that was picked (along with Oklahoma) to finish last in the league's preseason poll.
Nash, voted the league's preseason freshman of the year, scored 16 points in the first 16 minutes to stake OSU to an 11-point halftime lead.
The Cowboys played almost an ideal first half, going 11-of-11 from the free throw line and committing zero turnovers to score their most points (40) in a first half since getting 41 in an NIT victory over Harvard last season.
The near-ideal first half was followed by a troublesome start to the second half.
Two OSU starting frontcourt players, Philip Jurick and Michael Cobbins, picked up two quick fouls each and both were on the bench with four fouls by the 16:56 mark of the half.
The Cowboys initially were able to hold serve without them, but the Red Raiders rallied to create suspense at the end.
Texas Tech dropped to 7-6 and lost for a ninth consecutive time in Stillwater despite a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds) from freshman Jordan Tolbert.
Up next
At Texas 6 p.m. SaturdayTV: Cox-3
Radio: KFAQ am1170Original Print Headline: OSU clips Texas Tech
Jimmie Tramel 918-581-8389
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/articlepath.aspx?articleid=20120105_93_B1_ULNSSe356510&rss_lnk=93
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