by ORLANDO, Fla. – Behind double-figure scoring efforts from all five of its starters, Oklahoma State’s women’s basketball team beat UCF, 68-61, Wednesday night in Orlando, Florida.
The Cowgirls improve to 8-5 on the season and snap a two-game losing streak with the win. They also improve to 1-1 in Big 12 play while the Knights fall to 0-2.
All but one OSU point came from its starters, with Anna Gret Asi leading the way with 16. Stailee Heard finished with 14 points, Lior Garzon scored 13 and Quincy Noble and Hannah Gusters had 12 apiece.
Oklahoma State held UCF to 40% shooting from the field and forced the Knights into 19 turnovers, which the Cowgirls converted into 14 points. OSU also outscored UCF by 10 points in the paint.
Both teams struggled to find a rhythm early on, as neither team broke into double figures on the scoreboard until a Garzon triple went down for the Cowgirls with 1:22 to go in the first quarter. OSU took a 14-11 lead into the second quarter thanks to an Asi three with five seconds remaining in the period.
In the second quarter, scoring continued to be hard to come by for both teams. Neither team shot better than 33.3% in the first half, but the Cowgirls made three more three-pointers than the Knights, contributing to a 26-22 OSU halftime advantage.
Coming out of the half, both teams played much better offensively, leading to runs by each side. The Knights went on a 7-0 run early in the frame before the Cowgirls put together an 8-0 run of their own to answer. OSU would take a 42-40 lead into the fourth behind a 6-12 shooting third quarter.
In the final period, the teams swapped the lead several times before the Cowgirls went on a 7-0 run with 3:16 remining in the game. UCF couldn’t muster a run to answer, and Oklahoma State got the win, 68-61.
Garzon scored nine of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, including clutch free throws to add to the Cowgirls down the stretch. Noble collected a season-high eight rebounds to go with her 12 points, and Asi dished out seven assists in the win.
