Cowgirls Improve to 13-2 With Big Win at Cincinnati
Oklahoma State got back in the win column and remained unbeaten on the road in Big 12 play.
On Wednesday, the Cowgirls won 64-48 at Cincinnati to secure their third conference win in four tries and remain near the top of the Big 12 standings. After falling to Kansas on Saturday at home, OSU was in need of a bounce-back performance and delivered.
After leading by three at halftime and by six through three quarters, OSU took over in the fourth and closed the game. In the fourth, OSU shot 6-of-11 from the field, including a couple of threes, plus went 7-of-11 from the free-throw line to help put the game out of reach.
Those numbers were a welcomed improvement, considering how tough it was for both offenses throughout the night. OSU finished shooting 41% from the floor, 27.3% from 3-point range and 57.1% at the line. Luckily for the Cowgirls, their defense shined, holding the Bearcats to 29.7/17.6/77.8 splits.
While she wasn’t immune to the sloppy nature of the contest, Stailee Heard still shined for the Cowgirls. She finished with 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting to go with 13 rebounds and five steals.
Her five steals helped offset OSU’s rough night in the turnover department, losing that battle 21-13. However, her 13 rebounds led the Cowgirls in a dominant effort on the glass, outrebounding the Bearcats 49-30.
The Cowgirls’ win in Cincinnati could also help their quest to earn a spot in the AP top 25. While they looked on track to make it in after beating Baylor, the loss to Kansas was a minor setback and kept them in the receiving votes section.
While the win at Cincinnati won’t be enough to push the Cowgirls into the top 25, they host No. 17 West Virginia this weekend and could use a win to catapult into the rankings.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.