Oklahoma State Cowgirls Struggle and Lose to Penn State in Bahamas

(This story originated with Oklahoma State University athletic media relations and was written by Ryan Cameron with the Cowgirls in the Bahamas.)

NASSAU, Bahamas – Oklahoma State's women's basketball team fell to Penn State, 89-80, in the first of a two-game trip to The Bahamas on Monday. The loss drops the Cowgirls to 2-2 on the season. They'll face another Big 10 foe in No. 15 Ohio State on Wednesday to conclude their week in The Bahamas.

Oklahoma State Athletics

The arena seemed dark in the corners, but Garzon still hit some threes.

Quincy Noble led OSU with 15 points, her highest scoring output of the season. Lior Garzon and Anna Gret Asi finished with 13 each while Chandler Prater had 11.

After Oklahoma State took a 6-5 lead early, the Lady Lions answered with a 13-6 run to close the quarter, taking a  20-12 lead into the second. Noble and Garzon each buried triples in the opening quarter for the Cowgirls.

The second quarter began with five-straight points from Penn State, but Kennedy Fauntleroy and Asi answered with back-to-back threes. The teams would trade baskets for the remainder of the quarter, with the Lady Lions taking a 32-26 lead to the halftime locker room.

Oklahoma State put together an 8-0 run midway through the third quarter to cut the lead to one before Garzon made back-to-back triples to give the Cowgirls their first lead since early in the first quarter at 44-43. The game would remain tight through the end of the quarter as Penn State took a 57-55 lead to the final period.

Shay Ciezki got hot in the fourth quarter and put the game away for the Lady Lions, pouring in 18 points with four threes in the final period. The Cowgirls 25 fourth-quarter points wouldn't be enough as they fell, 89-80.Freshman Stailee Heard finished the game with seven points, eight rebounds and four steals, while Oklahoma State as a team shot 56.3 percent from the field and 50 percent from three in the second-half comeback effort.