by STILLWATER – In its return from the holiday break, Oklahoma State’s women’s basketball team fell to Iowa State, 76-68, in its conference opener Saturday afternoon in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
It was the Cowgirls’ first home loss of the season as they fall to 7-5 on the year. They’ll look to bounce back when they travel to Orlando, Florida, to take on UCF in the first of a two-game road trip on Wednesday.
Anna Gret Asi posted a career-high 27 points, with 19 coming in a second-half comeback effort. Stailee Heard finished with 13 points and Hannah Gusters had 12.
OSU jumped out to a seven-point lead in the opening minutes of the game, getting back-to-back threes from Heard early on. The Cyclones responded with a 15-5 run to close the first quarter, taking a 21-18 lead.
The second quarter played even, with Quincy Noble scoring six points early in the frame. Gusters hit a pair of mid-range jump shots and Lior Garzon buried a triple near the end of the period as the Cowgirls trailed by two entering the halftime break.
Iowa State outscored OSU 19-9 in the third quarter as the Cyclones shot 68% from the field and 63% from three in the period. The Cowgirls would head into the fourth quarter trailing 59-47.
Oklahoma State opened the final period by going on a 10-3 run to get back into the game. The teams would trade baskets the rest of the way, however, and the Cowgirls’ comeback effort would come up short despite 14 fourth-quarter points from Asi.
OSU shot 7-14 from three in a competitive first half but would come out of the half shooting just 3-14 from behind the arc the rest of the way. The Cyclones also out-rebounded the Cowgirls 48-21.
Oklahoma State forced Iowa State into 18 turnovers, converting them into 25 points, while the Cowgirls committed a season-low five turnovers of their own. They also recorded 13 steals to the Cyclones two.
