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Cowgirls Go Cold From Deep in 74-67 Loss to St. John's

Oklahoma State couldn't keep its undefeated start going.
Taylor Skieens|
Nov 9, 2025; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowgirls coach Jaycie Hoyt watches game play during the first half against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
Nov 9, 2025; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowgirls coach Jaycie Hoyt watches game play during the first half against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

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Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls entered Wednesday's showdown with the St. John's Red Storm riding one of the hottest starts in all of women's hoops. The Cowgirls made the long trip to New York carrying a five-game winning streak in which they had been nothing short of dominant.

In their first five games of the regular season, Oklahoma State was averaging 106 points per game and had scored a bind blowing 528 total points. They had only given up over sixty points in one game (62 to Oral Roberts) and had climbed as high as No. 18 in the rankings. The Cowgirls had enjoyed the friendly confines of Gallagher-Iba Arena during their five game winning streak and were tested for the first time this season on the road against St. John's.

The typically sharp-shooting Cowgirls could never find a rhythm from long range against the Red Storm. Oklahoma State shot a season low 25 percent from 3-point territory and only managed to knock down four shots from beyond the arc. Guards Lena Girardi and Amari Whiting combined to go 3-for-6 from 3-point territory while the rest of the team combined to shoot 1-for-10 from long range.

The Red Storm jumped out an early 19-14 first quarter lead and by halftime they were up on the Cowgirls 35-25. The Pokes were able to even the score at 47 all following a third period in which they outscored St. John's 22-12 in the frame. The home team proved to be to strong in the fourth and were able to come away with the 74-67 victory.

The Cowgirls were led by Stailee Heard and her team-high 15 points. She only shot 2-of-11 from the field but was able to knock down 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. She dished out a team-high four assists for the Pokes. Achol Akot wasn't far behind with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. She pulled down six rebounds and got her hands on a steal.

Freshman Lena Girardi continued to show that she is a future star for the Cowgirls. In just 20 minutes of action, she scored 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting. She was 50 percent from long range and drained both of her attempts from the free-throw line. It's only a matter of time before Girardi works her way into the starting lineup for Jacie Hoyt's Cowgirls.

The Cowgirls fall to 5-1 on the season and will look to get back on track at home when they welcome the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders to Stillwater on Monday. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 P.M. and can be caught on ESPN+.

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Taylor Skieens
TAYLOR SKIEENS

Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.

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