OKLAHOMA CITY- A slow second half was too much for the Cowgirls to overcome.
Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State 92-70 on Saturday afternoon at Paycom Center. The Cowgirls dropped to 10-2 with the loss.
“We knew this was a great opportunity for us to see where we measure up against a potential Final Four team,” coach Jacie Hoyt said. “We learned a lot about ourselves to day and a lot of things we can get better at.”
The teams showed even ability for most of the game. Oklahoma held a six point lead at halftime. Both teams shot over 40 percent from the field. Neither team was able to show separation on the stat sheet until the third quarter.
“I thought we battled and that for some people on our team this was a new stage,” Hoyt said. “The lights were bright today and I think it’s really good for us that we played a game of this magnitude so early.”
The Cowgirls were outscored 30-19 in the third quarter and could not find a way to cut into a deficit that grew as high as 17.
“They had 30 in that quarter and it was straight up just us throwing them the ball,” Hoyt said. “That was uncharacteristic of us and really hurt us overall.”
Oklahoma State was held to 28 percent from three. Micah Gray led the Cowgirls with 22 points.
“We just have to get back to the drawing board and build from there,” Gray said. “We have to focus on doing our jobs as players.”
While the Cowgirls shot 38 percent from the floor, defensively the team had no answer for the high-powered Sooners attack, which finished 51 percent from the floor.
“It was a mismatch for us in the paint,” Hoyt said. “I thought our game plan was good, we just gave them the ball too much.”
The Cowgirls committed 22 turnovers, which accounted for 25 Sooner points.
“We turned the ball over way too much,” Hoyt said. “You are never going to beat a team that good when you turn the ball over the way that we did.”
Oklahoma State has a short wait until its next game. The loss provided an opportunity for Hoyt to continue to learn about her team as conference season looms.
“The season is so long and you are unfortunately going to have games that do not go your way,” Hoyt said. “I know the character of this team and that means we are going to pick ourselves back up and get back to it.”
