Oklahoma State Cowgirl basketball
The Mercer Bears are in town to take on Oklahoma State in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The loyal crowd is here to support the Cowgirls in force today as the ladies take the court.
The starting lineup – forward Tegan Cunningham, guard/forward Toni Young, guards Lakyn Garrison and Andrea Riley and center Lindsey Keller - come out strong and fast, scoring a bucket 15 seconds in and then forcing Mercer into an offensive foul on their first possession. It appears that the Cowgirls intensity is vastly improved from the starts of the previous home games.
It is interesting to note Mercer has two starters from the local area, senior guard LaToya Jackson (Oklahoma City, Millwood HS) and sophomore forward Lacy Ramon (Norman, Norman HS). The Bears also have another Okie connection in sophomore guard Lorin Hammer (Peavine, Sequoyah HS).
After some fast play to start the game, at the first timeout just over four minutes in, the score is 13-9 in favor of Oklahoma State and Tegan Cunningham is off to a hot start after reaching career-highs in Thursday night’s contest. She is two-of-two from the field with four points and two rebounds to begin the game.
This crowd is loud today. Solid play, both offensively and defensively has keyed a 20-9 advantage with 13:14 remaining in the first half. The Cowgirls are playing their game – crushing the glass with 10 rebounds and six fast break points. Offensively, the ladies are shooting at 55.6 percent as a team and 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Another timeout and Mercer hasn’t scored in the last four minutes. The Cowgirls are increasing their advantage and now lead 22-9, led by their seniors – Andrea Riley has seven early points and Cunningham is leading all scorers with eight.
Kurt Budke mentioned the solid teamwork and flow between Cunningham and Riley after Thursday night’s game, and it was just witnessed with a great assist by Cunningham and a 2-point basket by Riley. The slow starts have officially been erased by the OSU ladies – or at least for this game – as they keep expanding their lead, which is now at 21 (30-9).
Impressive stat notes – Tegan Cunningham and Andrea Riley both are already in double figures and there is still 7:15 remaining in the first half. OSU owns the obvious advantage on the glass, more than doubling the Mercer squad at 19-9. Riley also has an impressive six assists to this point. Mercer has four ladies with points, and they are all 3-point baskets.
The Cowgirls seem to have an early ‘Midas touch’ from 3-point range and are 6-of-10, with Lakyn Garrison, Lindsey Keller and Riley all having a pair.
With 36 seconds remaining in the half, Cowgirl Lindsey Keller joins Cunningham and Riley with double-digit points. A 3-point money ball at the buzzer by Mercer’s Lorin Hammer caps the half at 55-31, with OSU firmly in control in the game.
At the half, the Cowgirl leaders are Tegan Cunningham and Andrea Riley with 14 points and Lindsey Keller with 10. Riley has nine assists and Precious Robinson and crashed for nine rebounds. The Cowgirls are shooting 56.8 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc.
For Mercer, Norman sophomore Lacy Ramon is leading the squad with eight points in her 11 minutes, including a perfect 2-for-2 from 3-point range. Mercer started their season with a 108-66 loss against Oklahoma and it seems the Cowgirls are on pace to beat or match that margin of victory set by their rivals to the south.
The second half starts off with a flurry of points by both teams, mimicking the beginning of the game. It’s now 62-35 in favor of OSU and Toni Young is now the fourth Cowgirl to reach double digits. Andrea Riley now has a double-double, with 14 points and 10 assists.
Even with the huge point disparity, Midwest City, Oklahoma native and coach of the Bears, Janell Jones, is still up and active – working to get her ladies to improve against this still competition. Jones attended college at Oklahoma Christian and is best known for her championship coaching at Oklahoma City University, where she is the winningest coach in the university’s history with 175 wins and just 14 losses over five seasons.
The threes are still falling for the Cowgirls, with 30 points coming from 3-point range. Garrison and Riley both have poured in three, Keller has two, and Cunningham and senior Ally Clardy both have contributed one now. With 11:59 remaining in the game, OSU leads 76-42.
Mercer’s Courtney Ford has come on strong in the second half and now leads her team in scoring and rebounds, with 15 and eight respectively. The Bears are being held to 27.8 percent shooting from the floor and have committed 17 turnovers thus far.
Lakyn Garrison has now joined the scoring club as the fifth to reach double figures. with 7:55 remaining it appears that Precious Robinson has a solid shot at making it six and grabbing herself a double-double of her own. Robinson is currently sitting at 12 rebounds and seven points in the 83-52 game.
The Cowgirl defense is stifling today and OSU now has four blocks and six steals to go with their solid offensive game. Cunningham and Riley are both sitting at 20 points apiece and Lakyn Garrison’s five made 3-balls have her close behind at 15 points. The scoreboard is sitting at 94-63 with 3:38 remaining in the contest.
Andrea Riley has set a Oklahoma State single-game record and tied the Big 12 Conference record with her 17 assists on the day. Yet another impressive outing for the senior leader.Along with her double-double at 20 points and 17 assists, Precious Robinson now has a double-double of her own, her second in a Cowgirl uniform, with 10 points and 14 rebounds.
The score is final here in Stillwater, and the Oklahoma State Cowgirl basketball team has posted their first triple-digit scoring outing on the year in the decisive 100-68 win.
