Recap: Cowgirls Fall at Houston 79-76 Despite Impressive Comeback Attempt

BOXSCORE

The Cowgirls came this close to completing an impressive comeback, but Stailee Heard’s last second shot rattled out.

No. 24 Oklahoma State fell to Houston on the road 79-76, despite trailing by as many as 26 in the second half.

Heard drilled a transition 3-pointer with 15 seconds to go to pull the Cowgirls to within 3. On the ensuing possession, the Cowgirls elected not to foul but got another shot at it.

Heard stole the ball from Houston’s Kierra Merchant with five seconds left and then got back down the court in time to attempt what would have been a game-tying deep ball. The ball made it halfway through the cylinder but bounced out as the buzzer rang. Before that last second miss, OSU had made six straight field goals and 10 of 12.

That’s how it ended. Here’s how they got there.

The Cougars did their damage in the middle quarters.

After both teams scored 18 in the first, Houston lapped OSU 21-10 in the second quarter thanks to nine points each from Merchant (3-of-4 from 3) and Eylia Love (4-of-6 from the field). After a 7-of-15 second quarter, the Cougars shot 10-of-14 in the third to push their lead to as many as 26 and led 62-42 heading into the final frame.

But the newly ranked Cowgirls didn’t go down without a fight.

OSU doubled up Houston 34-17 in the fourth quarter, with a big thanks Heard, the Cowgirls’ leading scorer. She poured in 12 of her 17 points in the final period. She also grabbed six rebounds and four steals.

Anna Gret Asi and Micah Gray each chipped in 16 points, and Macey Huard added 11, five rebounds and five steals.

While the comeback attempt was admirable, the Cowgirls went a combined 8-of-23 in the second and third quarters. The road loss comes just a day after the Cowgirls climbed into the AP ranking for the first time since the 2017-18 season. It was also Houston’s first Big 12 win of the season.

With the loss, the Cowgirls fall to 14-3 and 4-2 in Big 12 play. Next up, they head to Orlando to face UCF Saturday at 3 p.m. CST. As of writing, the Knights are 7-9 and sit at a last-placed 0-6 in conference play.