The Cowgirls gave up the first 2 buckets of the game, then took control and never let loose of their grip. The score was 9-8 with 5:01 left in the first before OSU finished the quarter on a 13-2 run to take a 12-point lead to the 2nd.
The lead stayed around that range for much of the 2nd quarter, and when Alexia Smith made a layup with 4 seconds left in the half, the Cowgirls went to break up 15.
OSU ballooned the lead to as much as 22 and finished with an 83-71 win. The Cowgirls are now 19-3 overall and 8-2 in Conference play.
OSU held ASU to 5-20 shooting in the first quarter 0-5 from 3, and just 1-10 from behind the arc for the 1st half. Arizona State did get hot in the 2nd half making 6 of 8 3’s, but it was too late because the Cowgirls had already built a comfortable lead.
After having back-to-back games with just 10 3-point shot attempts, Wedesday night was another high-volume game in terms of shots taken from range. The Cowgirls took 30 3-pointers making 11 (36.7%) and shot 41.7% overall from the floor.
4 ladies scored in double-digits, Heard (28), Asi (14), Magassa (11), and Smith with 10. OSU also had more than twice as many assists (20) than they had turnovers (9), out-rebounded Arizona State, and had 4 more offensive rebounds than the Devils.
OSU outscored Arizona State in 2nd chance points and bench points by 6 a piece and points off turnovers by 9. The Cowgirls also dominated the pace of play and scored 21 fast break points, 10 more than the Devils.
OSU shot 5 more free throws, which meant they were actively driving the ball and getting it in the paint and had 7 fewer turnovers.
If there’s a recipe for playing good basketball and controlling an opponent, this game was it. And, the exciting part is that, although they played well, this group still has quite a bit of ceiling left, IMO.
Stailee Heard had another big night, scoring 28 points against Arizona State, following her career-high 34 points this weekend against Tech. She also had 10 boards, giving her another double-double, and added 2 assists.
Rumor has it she also sold tickets before the game, sold concessions during halftime, swept the floor, and did anything else that needed to be done.
Anna Gret Asi poured in 14 points in 29 minutes and was 4 of 10 from 3-point range. She also pulled down 4 boards and had 4 assists.
Asi is shooting 38.7% from range on the year, 43.7% overall and averages almost 3 assists per game. When she’s knocking down shots from the outside, this team is hard to stop. Gray, Heard, Smith, and Wooten are so good at penetrating, that they force the defense to either double the ball, leaving Asi open, or play the ball 1 on 1.
Either way, it’s a “pick your poison”!
Heckuva nice game for Tenin Magassa, who consistently made herself available in the paint. She scored 11, but it felt like she scored more than that because the offense, at least partially, ran through her on several occasions.
When the offense gets the ball into her, then back out, or uses her presence to open lanes to the bucket, it makes things easier.
Magassa has been playing great defense, so seeing her get rewarded with a double-digit scoring game was good.
Alexia Smith had another double-digit game scoring 10 points, and had 3 boards and 2 assists in 27 minutes.
This was her highest-scoring game since she scored 12 at Cincinnati, and she’s played 88 minutes in the last 3 games. All of those games have been big, so she has become a part of the fabric of this team.
What’s Next?
With the 83-71 win on Wednesday night, the Cowgirls move to 18-3 overall and 8-2 in Conference play. Next up is a HUGE road game at West Virginia. The Mountaineers are 6-3 in Conference and have been ranked for much of the year, so this is a big game. Not only is this game big for Conference positioning, but it also is the type of game that could get the Cowgirls a better seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The game will tip at 11:00, so wake up, get your coffee, then tune into ESPN U and hopefully watch the Cowgirls take care of business.
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