Shooting Troubles Are Too Much For Cowgirls To Overcome

Colorado got the best of the Cowgirls, as they handed OSU its fifth loss of the season.

Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt talks woth an official during a women's college basketball game between the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (OSU) and the Houston Cougars at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. Oklahoma State won 83-52. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Some hiccups in the road are harder to overcome than others. 

Cowgirl basketball traveled to Colorado on Saturday to take on the Buffaloes for the team’s eighth Big 12 bout of the season. However, what was hoped to be a building block to getting back into the top-25 rankings turned into a trap game, as the Cowgirls would fall 79-65. 

OSU fell behind early and would never be able to get its footing, as the only time the Cowgirls would lead would be in the first four minutes of the game. 

The Buffaloes played well, shooting 57% from the field and 42% from beyond the arc, but the real factor in this game was how poorly the Cowgirls shot themselves. Oklahoma State couldn’t seem to respond to the Buffaloes' great shooting, as the Pokes shot only 35% from the field and an even worse 20% from deep. 

Achol Akot and Haleigh Timmer tried their best to lead the Cowgirls as they scored 22 and 17, respectively. However, this would be all the help the Cowgirls would receive, as nobody else on the team would score above seven points. This is unlike the Cowgirls team, as out of the eight that took the floor on Saturday, only one player averages less than 10 points. 

Oklahoma State’s shooting didn’t get much better at the foul line either, as the Cowgirls only made 61% of their free throws, leaving nine points off the board that were much needed. 

The lack of shooting would ultimately lead to the Cowgirls' fifth loss of the year and their third in conference play. This puts OSU at two games behind the Big 12 leaders and has caused Oklahoma State to fall lower in the AP rankings, too. 

In the Week 12 AP Poll, the Cowgirls received only one vote to be included in the best 25 teams in the country, and this is not a direction OSU can continue in. The Cowgirls will have a chance to turn their play around on Wednesday as BYU comes to Stillwater. 

If the Pokes want to make it to their second straight NCAA Tournament, they’ll have to make sure performances like Saturday don’t become the norm. There’s plenty of time for the Cowgirls to continue to prove themselves, and if Jacie Hoyt’s squad can play like they have shown they have, there should be no doubt about the Cowgirls' future.

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