Cowgirls Fall Out of Top 25 After Disappointing Loss at Houston
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Oklahoma State has fallen out of the rankings.
The Cowgirls’ time in the top 25 was short-lived, as they dropped out of the AP poll on Monday. After earning the No. 24 spot in last week’s ranking, the Cowgirls lost their first game as a top 25 team in seven years.
Against a Houston team that was previously winless in conference, OSU came out flat and never recovered from its poor start. While the deficit was still manageable at halftime, OSU’s start to the second half was even worse, with Houston building its lead to as much as 26.
The Cowgirls still showed some fight and came back in the final minutes. They even forced a turnover and had a shot to tie the game as time expired, but Stailee Heard couldn’t complete the miraculous comeback bid. OSU’s loss was by far its worst of the season, but the team still got an opportunity to rebound with another road matchup against a winless Big 12 team.
This time, the Cowgirls took care of business. Holding a lead at UCF for virtually the entire game, Jacie Hoyt’s team came out strong and had an impressive response to its disappointing loss.
The win in Orlando moved OSU to 3-0 after a loss this season and gave the team some momentum as it comes back to Stillwater for a premier matchup on Wednesday. The Cowgirls are set to face No. 9 TCU in Gallagher-Iba Arena in a matchup that could thrust them right back into the top 25.
The Horned Frogs’ only loss this season came against powerhouse South Carolina in early December. Perhaps the favorite to win the Big 12, TCU is set for what could be its toughest matchup of the conference slate thus far.
OSU has lost only one game at home this season and beat a top-20 West Virginia team in its last matchup in Stillwater, which helped propel the team into the top 25. After facing TCU, the Cowgirls will head to Lubbock for a matchup against Texas Tech.
While this is one of the toughest weeks of the season, the Cowgirls have another opportunity to prove they are a Big 12 contender and worthy of a spot in the top 25.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.