by STILLWATER – Behind an impressive debut from Hannah Gusters, Oklahoma State’s women’s basketball team beat Southern Illinois, 76-58, at Gallagher-Iba Arena Sunday afternoon.
The Cowgirls improve to 6-3 with the win and extend their win streak to four. They also remain unbeaten at home on the season at 6-0, with a two-game road trip in Utah against Utah Tech and Oregon on tap.
Gusters finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in her Oklahoma State debut, with 17 of her points coming in the second half. Freshman Stailee Heard added 18 points and six rebounds while Quincy Noble scored 13.
OSU got down 10-2 early in the first quarter but rallied to tie things at 13 to close the period. Neither team made a three and the teams combined for 11 turnovers in the opening frame.
In the second, the offense picked up on both sides as the teams continued to play even. Noble finished the first half with 10 points while Laniah Randle had 17 at the break. The teams went to the locker room tied at 30.
Oklahoma State came out of the half with a rhythm on the offensive end, scoring 25 in the third quarter. The Cowgirls shot 57.1% in the frame with triples from Anna Gret Asi and Lior Garzon, leading them to a 55-44 lead heading to the final period.
In the final quarter, OSU methodically extended its lead, getting 11 points from Gusters in the period. Heard added six as the Cowgirls committed just one turnover in the frame, securing the 76-58 win.
After struggling to shoot in the first half, Oklahoma State shot 48% in the second half on its way to the 18-point win. The Cowgirls outscored the Salukis 42-30 in the paint while forcing Southern Illinois into five more turnovers in the game.
OSU held Randle to just eight points after she had an explosive first half. She would finish with 25 points and nine rebounds on 10-12 shooting for the Salukis.
