Cowgirl Hoops: Oklahoma State Falls to No. 11 Texas 76-66

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STILLWATER — The Cowgirls hung around with the nationally ranked Longhorns on Saturday in Gallagher-Iba Arena, but they just couldn’t quite get over the hump.

Oklahoma State fell 76-66 to No. 11 Texas — a team that entered Saturday ranked second in the NET. OSU led for all of 21 seconds of the game, as anytime the Cowgirls got close, Texas would answer with a run to put OSU back at arm’s distance. In the first three quarters, Texas’ led by double digits for only 31 seconds before a big fourth quarter for the Longhorns that saw them outscore OSU 19-13. It was worse until the Cowgirls finished the game on a 6-0 run.

After trailing 39-30 at halftime, the Cowgirls came out of the locker room hot. North Texas transfer Quincy Noble scored seven straight points. After a Lior Garzon free throw, it was Anna Gret Asi’s turn to take over, as she scored the Cowgirls’ next nine, including a 3 that tied the game at 45. Noble finished with eight and Asi with a game-high 22.

The teams traded baskets the remainder of the third quarter with Texas’ going into the fourth with a 57-53 lead. But then the fourth was all Texas, as the Longhorns started the frame on a 10-1 run that OSU couldn’t come back from. UT shot 50% from the floor in the fourth to OSU’s 29%.

“You work so hard like we did in the third quarter, and then you start the fourth quarter like that, that’s just a mindset,” OSU coach Jacie Hoyt said. “It’s hard to recover from that. … To beat a team that’s ranked 11th in the country, you have to make tough shots, and you also have to make the open shots. We just didn’t make open shots.”

Texas entered Saturday ranking 10th nationally in turnovers forced per game with 22.74, and though the Longhorns didn’t hit their average against the Cowgirls, UT did turn 15 OSU giveaways into 18 Longhorn points. The Cowgirls didn’t have a turnover in the third quarter and outscored Texas 23-18 in that frame.

The Longhorns also had a big advantage on the glass, outrebounding OSU 39-24. Texas won the battle of second-chance points 16-4 because of that. Hannah Gusters and Praise Egharevba were the only players Hoyt used who are taller than 6-foot-1, and that pair combined for just one rebound.

“Be tough — go pursue the damn ball,” Hoyt said. “I don’t think we’re pursuing very well. Hannah and Praise had a combined one rebound, and that’s not gonna cut it. I think they would tell you that, as well. Our bigs have to have more of a paint presence, it’s as simple as that.”

Three Cowgirls scored in double figures with Asi’s 22 leading the way, as she went 8-for-10 from the floor and 3-for-4 from 3. She also had five assists. Gusters, an LSU transfer, added 14 on 7-for-11 shooting before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Lior Garzon had 11.

The loss drops the Cowgirls to 11-7 on the season and 4-3 in Big 12 play. It was just the Cowgirls’ second home loss of the season. Entering the weekend, ESPN’s Charlie Creme had the Cowgirls out of the NCAA Tournament field.

Jacie Hoyt’s Postgame News Conference

Up Next

Opponent: Cincinnati
Location: Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio
Time: 5 p.m. Wednesday
Watch: ESPN+