Oklahoma State Cowgirls at the NCAA Final Fours. Micah Gray an All-American
STILLWATER – Cowgirls basketball coach Jacie Hoyt is in the midst of rebuilding her team after losing eight players to the transfer portal. Two other players have exhausted their eligibility. Hoyt and much of her staff are in Phoenix, Ariz. this weekend for the NCAA Women’s Final Four. There are two Cowgirls, who will be playing basketball on Final Four weekend. Hot shot Haleigh Timmer and All-American Micah Gray.
Micah Gray found out midday on Good Friday that she earned honorable mention All-America honors with the announcement of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-America squad.
Gray will be among the 20 senior standouts in action this weekend at the Lilly Women's College All-Star Game. The game will take place on Saturday at Grand Canyon University's Global Credit Union Arena at noon (CT). It will be televised as part of the Final Four weekend festivities on ESPN2.
Gray, from Oklahoma City, helped the Cowgirls to a 24-10 record and a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament where they lost to top seed UCLA 87-68. The game that was even for the final three quarters after the Bruins took a big lead early. Gray averaged a team-best 13.6 points per game and broke the school's single-season made 3-pointers mark for the second year in a row. Gray connected on 93 treys on the year, leading the Big 12 with her 2.74 made 3-pointers per game. Additionally, she ranked third among league players in 3-point field-goal percentage (.348).
Timmer was selected and is competing in the Celsius Women's 3-Point Championship as part of the 37th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Friday, April 3. That event, part of the festivities at the NCAA Men’s Final Four will be televised nationally at 12:30 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, April 5 on ESPN.
Timmer started all 34 of OSU's games this season and averaged 11.5 points per outing. The senior from Rapid City, South Dakota connected on 71 of her 170 (41.8 percent) attempts from beyond the arc. Her percentage ranks 23rd nationally and she ranks 10th among Big 12 players with her 2.1 made treys per game.
Men and women compete separately and then winners will compete in the Skechers Battle of the Champions.
Hoyt and her staff will be there for the semifinals in the Women’s Final Four on Friday (April 3) as UCLA will battle Texas and UConn will play South Carolina. All four top seeds made it to Phoenix.
Hoyt and OSU picked up a portal pledge from Division II leading scorer and Player of the Year in Talexa Weeter of Fort Hays State. A 6-0 guard, Weeter led NCAA Division II in scoring at 27.5 points per outing. Additionally, she broke the MIAA's scoring record with 852 points, which is also the 13th-best tally in a season in Division II history.
There is a lot more work to do for Hoyt and the staff and the transfer portal opens officially on Monday (April 6).
