The Cowgirls were hosting the ninth-ranked team in women’s College basketball on Wednesday night, and for the largest parts of the game, TCU showed why they are so highly ranked.
Sedona Prince was dominating the paint on her way to 22 points, and the rest of the Frogs crew played well around her hitting timely shots. The TCU lead swelled to as many as 14 points when Prince tipped a shot back in to put the Cowgirls in a 34-20 hole.
It swoll to 14 again, when, again, Prince hit another shot with 1:53 to go in the half. The half ended with TCU in control at 39-24, and to that point, OSU had no answers for Prince down in the paint.
Prince gave her Frogs a 9-point lead with just 6:42 to go in the game as well after she completed an “And One” on a tip that seemingly was the nail in the coffin for the Cowgirls.
But, not so fast my friends, as OSU, specifically Jadyn Wooten had a lot left to say.
Wooten scored the next bucket to make the score 53-44, and that was just a precursor of what was to come.
The Freshman from Overland Park, Kansas made 5 buckets down the stretch, including the jumper that tied the game, and had the assist to Heard who hit the go-ahead shot.
She missed just 1 shot during that crucial stretch and was close to perfect in the waning moments, and, with anything less than that, OSU likely doesn’t win.
Without her, OSU seriously might have lost by double-digits. With her, they completed the comeback and took down the #9 ranked team after trailing for basically the entire game.
With all of the experience and offensive skill this team has, it’s pretty incredible that a Freshman was the cornerstone in such a big game, and with such high stakes.
Anna Gret Asi had another big game scoring 10, and surprisingly only took one 3-pointer. That just goes to show the versatility in her game that she can score in so many different ways, not just from her great shooting.
Asi also had a couple of dimes, a rebound, and played 30 minutes, and had no turnovers.
Alexia Smith had a nice game scoring 9 points in 26 minutes, pulling down 5 boards, and making a big 3. With the finish of Wooten, then the usual excellence of Heard, Smith quietly was the 3rd leading scorer and one of the biggest parts of tonight’s win.
It was another huge night for Stailee Heard who was once again a PTPer with 17 & 6, 6 boards, and for the 2nd game in a row, had no turnovers. Heard is the unquestioned leader of this team, and, as good as she is on the court, her leadership during timeouts, and the way she holds her teammates accountable is equally as impressive.
Team Victory
OSU made 25 field goals on Wednesday, shot 43% from the floor, and after shooting 30 3-pointers in the big win over the weekend at UCF, the Cowgirls hoisted just 13 shots from behind the arc and made 4 of them.
3 ladies posted double-digit games with Heard leading the way checking in with 17. Wooten had 14, Asi had 10, and then Alexia Smith added 9 as well.
But, this game wasn’t won on the offensive end. OSU is one of the better offensive clubs in the League, but scored just 60 points, so the Cowgirls had to rely on their defense, especially down the stretch to win this game.
OSU allowed TCU to score just 20 points in the 2nd Half, and just 6 points in the last 6:01 in the game. The Frogs scored just 1 bucket from 6:01 to just 29 seconds left in the game, and during that stretch, OSU went from down 9 to up 5.
It got very interesting down the stretch, however, as the Cowgirls missed 4 free throws in the last 15 seconds of the game, and fouled a 3-point shooter during that time, which left TCU in the game. In fact, it did more than that. It gave the Frogs the ball back with 8 seconds left down just 1 with the last possession.
OSU played great defense, however, and forced a bad shot, and the celebration was on.
Celebration
The students rushed the floor and celebrated with the team, then Coach Hoyt took to the microphone and thanked the crowd for creating such an electric atmosphere.
You never want to make too much out of one game, but this game felt like a turning point. If felt like it was the moment where “potential” turned into results, and if that continues to be the case, this is a very dangerous team.
What’s Next
The Cowgirls travel to Lubbock this weekend to take on a dangerous Texas Tech team. Any Tech team in any sport is always dangerous in Lubbock, and the Lady Raiders are 14-7, so the Cowgirls will have to bring their A-game.
OSU is at home next Wednesday to take on Arizona State, hope to see everyone there.
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Gallagher IBA Arena was rockin’ Wednesday night the students rush the floor and celebrate a great moment. Very fitting that Stailee Heard was the last one to touch the ball. Heard is the unquestioned leader of this team, and, as good as she is on the court, her leadership during timeouts, and the way she holds her teammates accountable is equally as impressive. Another huge night for the PTPer, 17 & 6, 6 boards, and for the 2nd game in a row, no turnovers.
