By BEN BASKIN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
NEW YORK — It was quite the homecoming for Oklahoma sophomore guard Isaiah Cousins at the Barclays Center on Friday night, as the Mount Vernon native put in a season-high 19 points in his return to New York.
Cousins was efficient from all over the court, shooting 7-for-8 from the field — including a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc — as the Sooners came from behind to stun Seton Hall, 86-85. He also hit 2-of-3 from the charity stripe.
The 6-foot-4 Cousins got 10 of his points in a first half in which he didn’t miss a shot, helping the Sooners open up a 44-41 lead at the break.
But more importantly, Cousins came up big when the team needed him most. His layup in traffic with with 51 seconds remaining to cut the Seton Hall lead to five and sparked the Sooners 9-1 run to end the game, helping them earn the stunning comeback.
“I just shot the ball well, and I just played hard,” Cousins said. “That’s what I do, I play hard.”
Cousin’s game epitomized the Sooners resilient effort, as the team never gave up and somehow pulled managed to pull out the win.
“Very happy for the guys who kept their head up and kept working,” Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said. “Kept battling and made something good happen late and finished it off.”
In his senior year in high school, Cousins led the Mount Vernon Knights in points, assists, and steals per game, carrying his team to a seventh straight Section 1 title and a second straight state championship. Cousins was awarded the distinction of Westchester/Putnam boys basketball player of the year at the end of the campaign.
Returning home to New York, with loved ones in the stands rooting him on, the game took on added importance for Cousins. He knew he had to come up big. And he did just that.
“It felt good being back home,” Cousins said. “My friends and family were here, so I just had to be on top of my game.”
Cousins will have one more opportunity to play in his home state as Oklahoma will face No. 1 Michigan State in the championship game Saturday night.
Photo: Oklahoma Athletics
