No. 24 Cowgirls Bounce Back With Dominant Performance at UCF
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Oklahoma State bounced back with a complete performance on the road.
No. 24 OSU beat UCF 72-58 at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando on Saturday. The Cowgirls kept the Knights winless in Big 12 play and moved to 15-3 on the season.
After OSU took a 15-point lead into halftime, it didn’t take its foot off the gas and continued to pile onto its advantage in the third quarter. OSU's lead ballooned to 26 in the third quarter, and the game was never in doubt from there.
While the Cowgirls’ loss on Tuesday will almost certainly drop them out of the top 25, they showed they might be able to fight their way back in with performances like this. OSU’s struggles in Houston stemmed from its turnovers, which allowed the Cougars to build a massive lead.
On Saturday in Orlando, the Cowgirls flipped the script. Although OSU still had seven turnovers in the first half, it forced 12 turnovers from the Knights, leading to 14 points for the Cowgirls.
Along with forcing the Knights’ offense into mistakes, the Cowgirls made a statement with their offense, particularly with their star. Stailee Heard missed the potential game-tying shot in Tuesday’s loss but didn’t miss much in the first half on Saturday. She entered halftime with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-6 from inside the arc. Her day ended with 23 points, 10 rebounds and four steals.
Along with Heard’s big day, Anna Gret Asi caught fire from beyond the arc, nailing four 3-pointers. She finished the afternoon with 15 points.
Overall, the Cowgirls’ offense had some areas to improve but looked like a much better version than what they showed in their last game. They shot 50% from the field in the first half and had 13 assists on 16 made baskets.
The Cowgirls will have a chance to make a statement in their next game when they come back to Stillwater to host TCU. The Horned Frogs have been one of the top teams in the country this season, and the game gives OSU another opportunity to show its status as one of the best in the Big 12.
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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.