Cowgirl Hoops: Oklahoma State Throttles Southern to Open Season

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STILLWATER — As was anticipated, Year 5 of the Jacie Hoyt Era got off to a dominant start.

Oklahoma State clobbered Southern 81-39 on Monday evening in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowgirls had 54 rebounds in the game — which would’ve tied a season-high from last season — and held the Jaguars to just 25% shooting from the field.

Despite winning by more points than the opposition scored, Hoyt noted there is room for improvement.

“I think as a whole, the game was a little bit, just kind of sticky, is how I would describe it for us,” Hoyt said. “I felt like it was a little bit hard to get a rhythm, get a feel for things and really get going. I thought that we definitely had moments. …

“The average person looks at this roster, and they think that everything is just gonna translate immediately. That’s just not real life. That’s not how it works. We’re still waiting for the hard work that we’re putting in to really take root and figure out how to blend things together. We’re on the right track.”

Audi Crooks scored a game-high 22 points in her official OSU debut. She was a dominant 9-for-10 from the field while also ripping down seven boards in her 24 minutes on the floor.

She closed her scoring with a beautiful post fadeaway from near the elbow.

“It felt good to finally tip off and play people that aren’t our scout guys,” Crooks said. “First game on record, I think it felt good. Like coach said, we had our highs and we had our lows, but overall, I’m just excited to be out there playing with my teammates.”

Nene Ndiaye might’ve been the player of the game in this one.

A 6-foot-1 Rutgers transfer, Ndiaye has a nice blend of length and athleticism. She scored 16 points and led the Cowgirls with four steals. She was a game-best +35, meaning OSU was 35 points better than the Jaguars when Ndiaye was on the floor.

It was short of a meh shooting night for the Cowgirls, something I wouldn’t expect to happen often. But Ndiaye was also the Cowgirls’ best 3-point shooter in this one, going 3-for-6 from deep. The Cowgirls were just 8-for-29 (28%) as a team.

“I’ve said to (Ndiaye) from the jump, she our Swiss Army knife,” Hoyt said. “There’s really nothing that she can’t do. She can play great offense for us. She can stretch the floor. She can post up. She can drive. She’s elite at getting to the free-throw line. And then defensively, just her length really bothers people.”

Heard joined those two in double figures, as the lone OSU returner finished with 12 points, seven boards and three assists.

Others found ways other than scoring to impact the game. Baylor transfer Yuting Deng scored only four points but ripped down a game-high 12 boards. Florida transfer Liv McGill missed the Cowgirls’ exhibition, but she did a little bit of everything in the official opener, finishing with seven points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Callin Hake, a Nebraska transfer, played some stifling defense, often badgering ball-handlers. She scored nine points — all via 3s — and had nine points, four assists and three steals.

Hake was the last Cowgirl to join this squad, as she had to get a fifth-year to do so. But despite her eligibility being up in the air for a bit, she played the most of any of Hoyt’s bench players on Monday.

“When she came in, her impact was felt immediately,” Hoyt said. “She’s just an elite teammate. She has this ability to really make people comfortable and bring people together, and that’s what we need on this team with so many new faces. And then I think schematically with what we do offensively, she fits like a glove.”

It’s not an elite opponent or anything, but Southern has made the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons, winning the SWAC to do so. Last year, the Jaguars had wins at Arizona and at Houston.

The Cowgirls’ season continues Friday when they host Morgan State at 5 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena.