Cowgirls Act and Play Like Ranked Team in Return Home, Beating Arizona State
STILLWATER – The last time Oklahoma State played a game after being ranked they were upset by a Big 12 winless Houston team 79-76. Head coach Jacie Hoyt took the blame and said she didn’t have her team ready. She also said her team was still learning things and since it was January and not March that was okay. Hoyt and anybody that watches the Cowgirls knows the team leader in scoring and about everything is sophomore dynamo Stailee Heard. Heard wasn’t taking anything to chance to start out. As a result of Heard’s powerful opening minutes and here stepping back or assisting her teammates to an excellent night in Gallagher-Iba Arena had the No. 24 Cowgirls winning going away over Arizona State 83-71.
“Great start for us, every game is so crucial at this point, and it doesn’t matter what other teams’ records are, head coach Jacie Hoyt said afterwards on the Oklahoma State Network postgame show. “Every game is most important and it was good to take care of business tonight.”
Heard came out knocked down a little contested three-pointer from the win three and a half minutes into the game to give Oklahoma State their first lead and one they would keep the rest of the contest at 9-8. A little later in the first Macey Huard threw a bad pass inside but chased it and it came back to her. When it did, she tossed it over to Heard in the same spot on the wing where she hit a another three to push the Cowgirls lead to 14-8. Heard had 8 points early to fuel Oklahoma State.
Just before the end of the first quarter Anna Gret Asi, a stable scorer that only fired off one shot and did not score in the Saturday win at Texas Tech last weekend fired up a three from the baseline to put OSU up 22-10 as the first quarter ended.
Arizona State had made a decent living offensively from the mid-range and also found some baskets inside as they were good at offensive work on the glass. They stayed in it for a while, but Heard to Huard to Jadyn Wooten gave Wooten an open avenue down the baseline for a drive and a 27-17 lead.
Then the Cowgirls just got a little fancy and showed off a little as Alexia Smith, the fifth-year guard out of Columbus, Ohio made several post moves and then found she could get off a scoop shot, she did, and OSU led 34-21. Huard, a shooter and a scorer was hustling all over the floor and she had nine rebounds to just four points in the first half. Two of those points came on a drive inside where she missed and got the rebound and put it right back up for a 36-24 advantage.
“We are learning what to do to look good and stay good, Hoyt added. “We are learning how to play with the target on our back.”
Smith added a late lay in off a turnover just before the half buzzer and the halftime lead was 41-26.
Arizona State went on a mini run to start the third quarter but Heard to Smith for a drive and then Anna Gret Asi with a baseline drive and it was 47-28.
“Really, it can kind of feel like she is struggling a little bit. I went back and looked, and it was really just the Texas Tech game where she struggled,” Hoyt said of Gret Asi. “She can score for us in any game, but the best thing is with our depth she doesn’t have to.”
The lead just continued to grow as Tenin Magassa took over in the middle and scored several baskets. Heard heated up again, and several threes went down to grow the lead to 20 and more.
Down the final minutes it became more of a three-point shooting contest with Arizona State out of necessity and the Cowgirls just running clock and working to keep the advantage discouraging to the Sun Devils.
Frustration boiled over a little at the end as Arizona State’s Jalyn Brown drove inside down by 15 and was fouled inside by Magassa. Brown began clapping in Magassa’s face and drew a technical with both teams making their free throws to make it 80-65.
The Cowgirls shot 42 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range. Arizona State shot the same 42 percent from the field and 39 percent from three. The biggest different was 16 turnovers by ASU and only nine by the Cowgirls.
Heard finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds and her eighth double-double. Three other players had double figures as Gret Asi had 14 points and four assists, Magassa 11 points and seven rebounds, and Smith got to 10 points.
Oklahoma State is now 18-3 on the season and moving up with an 8-2 Big 12 record. Arizona State drops to 8-14 on the season and 2-8 in the conference. The Cowgirls head to West Virginia for a much greater challenge as they face the Lady Mountaineers (16-4/6-3). The Cowgirls upset then No. 17 WVU 64-57 back on Jan. 11.