Oklahoma State Advances With Buzzer-Beater Over West Virginia

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls rallied from a 13-point deficit late in the third quarter to pull off a thrilling 62-61 buzzer-beater win over West Virginia in the quarterfinals.

With the win, the Cowgirls move to 21-10 overall on the season and will face the winner No. 1 Texas and Kansas State. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 11 on ESPN+.

Trailing by one, 61-60, with just 13 seconds remaining, the Cowgirls called a timeout following a defensive rebound by Taylen Collins. Out of the break on the other end, Terryn Milton worked through traffic in the paint to hit the game-winner.

“It was a clear-out play for me going to the right,” Milton said after the game. “I knew that they were going to help in. As far as the shot, it was a crazy shot. I felt like the ball was on the rim for a good five seconds. It felt like time stood still for a second and then it rolled in, and the rest is history. It's crazy.”

Redshirt fifth-year Naomie Alnatas led the way for the Cowgirls with 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field, 3-of-7 from 3-point range and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Eight of Alnatas’ 16 points came in the fourth quarter.

Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Fifth-year senior guard Terryn Milton, who was the hero of the game with the last-second buzzer-beater, finished with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line.

WVU led for most of the game, holding that advantage for 33:21, including their largest lead of the game towards the end of the third quarter of 13 points, a 53-40 advantage following a 3-pointer from Madisen Smith.

That’s when the Cowgirls made their move. Following Smith’s three, Milton hit two free throws with :35 left in the third quarter, followed by a jumper right out of the gate in the fourth to make it a nine-point game, 53-44. Following a quick bucket by WVU at the 9:20 mark, the Cowgirls proceeded to go on an 18-6 run, including a last-second buzzer-beater by Milton to give the Cowgirls their first lead and only lead of the game when it mattered most.