Monday, December 19, 2022
U.S. Rep. Lucas speaks At Fall Commencement Kennedy Thomason Assistant News Editor
the Ferguson College of Agriculture, the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology and the College of Arts and Sciences. The afternoon Saturday, Lucas reminded the recognized graduates from the Spears more than 1,100 graduates at OSU’s fall School of Business and the College commencement ceremonies that those of Education and Human Sciences. dreams can come true, no matter where Graduate student ceremonies were held any of the graduates came from. Friday. U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas, spoke at The 1982 OSU agricultural OSU’s fall commencement on Saturday. alumnus reminded graduates that they Saturday morning’s graduation can achieve their dreams, regardless of ceremonies recognized students from where they came from.
Lucas represents Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District, which is made of almost half of the state’s land mass. A citizen of Cheyenne in Roger Mills County, his high school graduating class consisted of 40 people. Lucas said his rural roots never deterred him from his career, which later led to Washington, D.C. “Remember this, the size of your hometown does not have to determine the size of your dreams,” Lucas said.
OSU President Kayse Shrum led the 145th commencement and was joined by Rep. Lucas; Dr. Ki Cole, OSU faculty chair; Jarold Callahan, OSU A&M Board of Regents chair; and Riley Pritzlaff, Student Government Association president. “For many of us, our time at OSU played a very critical role in our lives,” Callahan said. “Whether it was learning skills for our future careers, taking See Convocation on page 5
Thompson’s Trey Scoring outputs from Cowboy guards key in victory against Wichita State
Ashton Slaughter Staff Reporter
Mackenzie Janish OSU guard John Michael Wright scored 16 points in OSU’s 59-49 win over Wichita State on Saturday night.
OSU’s rides stingy defense, massive 3-point edge to road win against WSU Ben & Sam Hutchens Staff Reporter
Notebook WICHITA, Kan. — Basketball teams live and die by the 3-point line. OSU did the living on Saturday. WSU did the dying. The Cowboys picked up a road win, utilizing stingy defense, a career-best 3-point shooting day and more. Here are three notes from the Cowboys’ 59-49 win: Overwhelming 3-point advantage : The Cowboys made nine of
their 23 attempts from behind the arc. The Shockers made just one of their 21 attempts. The Shockers (65) entered the game shooting 31% on 3-pointers. Two Cowboys (7-4) were scorching hot from behind the arc. Junior guard Bryce Thompson hit a career-high five 3-pointers. He was five-for-nine from deep and racked up 19 points. “Bryce Thompson has always been able to shoot the basketball,” coach Mike Boynton said. “We’ve got to continue to encourage him to take the type of shots that he took tonight. Even the few that he missed, they were right on.” Senior guard John-Michael Wright was the only other Cowboy
to make a 3-pointer. He knocked down four of his seven attempts and finished with 16 points. “All week we just practiced making good shots,” Wright said. “I got good looks and so did (Thompson). Pretty much everybody got good looks.” With senior guard Caleb Asberry not traveling for the game while dealing with a seasonal illness, Wright’s performance was key in OSU’s shooting edge. Before the game, Asberry had an OSU-high 16 3-pointers. “When (Thompson and Wright) can get going like that it helps,” Boynton said. “Especially See Defense on page 3
WICHITA, Kan. OSU needed a bucket, bad. Wichita State was on a 6-0 run, cutting the Cowboy lead to just eight with six and a half minutes remaining in the game. After a WSU layup, Bryce Thompson, OSU guard, booked it down the court, finding his way to the corner in front of his bench. Thompson, who finished with 19 points, stuck his right arm out, frantically calling for the ball from John-Michael Wright, as the Shocker defense had fallen asleep in transition. Wright locked eyes with him, then fired the pass to the corner as the Cowboy bench stood up behind Thompson waiting to celebrate. “That was a big shot, I had to let it go,” Thompson said. “It was a fastbreak three and I was feeling it.” Swish. Let the celebration begin. Thompson and Wright, who combined for 35 points and nine made threes in the Cowboys’ 5949 win in Wichita, put on an offensive clinic, which coach Mike Boynton needed when he brought the two guards in from the transfer portal. “They’re good shooters, that’s something they’re capable of doing,” Boynton said. “(That’s) a big part of the reason both of them are playing at Oklahoma State.” Boynton knew how important this game was for his squad, as the Cowboys were teetering above .500 with non-conference play coming to an end.
His players cited intense practices consisting of high-intensity moments and shooting drills leading up to the game as what prepared them for their important victory. “All week we just practiced making good shots,” Wright said. “This was a mustwin for us and we knew that... we made sure we were locked in.” Thompson’s five three-pointers were a career-high, while Wright’s four three-pointers tied a season-high. The Cowboy guards were the only two players in double figures for OSU, providing a much-needed spark offensively. See Trey on page 2