OSU's Andrea Riley drives past Texas A&M's La Toya Micheaux during the Cowgirls' loss at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Wednesday. by BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
OSU's Andrea Riley had 23 points, but Texas A&M beat the Cowgirls 63-57 on Wednesday. By BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
Unfortunately for OSU, she plays for the Aggies.
Putnam City West product Danielle Gant scored 14 of her team-high 18 points in the second half, leading A&M to a 63-57 come-from-behind Big 12 women's basketball win in front of 3,578 fans.
"Coach told me to be a little bit more selfish in the second half,” said Gant, a former Oklahoman Player of the Year. "So I took some more of those jump shots that I didn't take in the first half.”
The win avenged a home loss to the Cowgirls in January, when OSU sophomore Andrea Riley hit a game winning 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining.
"We are on the payback tour,” A&M coach Gary Blair said.
A&M trailed 37-29 at halftime, but Gant scored the Aggies' first 12 points of the second half.
"This was a great comeback win against a great NCAA Tournament team,” Blair said.
OSU managed only two points in the first seven minutes of the second half and fell behind, 46-40.
"We should have been up 14 or 15 at one time, and we didn't do that,” OSU coach Kurt Budke said. "Texas A&M is too good on defense and too physical to go away.
"She (Gant) is hard to guard, a tremendous athlete who is one of the better rebounders in the league and one of the better jumpers in the league. I love her as a player, and she does a lot of things to cause matchup problems for whoever she plays.”
While Gant brought A&M back into the game early in the second half, Riley and Danielle Green, OSU's top two leading scorers, were held scoreless.
"It is very disappointing to lose at home,” Riley said. "You would like to think you have home-court advantage. When a team comes in that you have already beat at their house, they are going to play with so much more fire, and that's what they did.”
OSU managed just 20 percent from the field on 6 of 29 shooting in the second half. The Cowgirls were 1 of 13 from behind the 3-point line.
"Any time you shoot that poorly, it's a loss in this league,” Budke said.
OSU shot 17 of 30 from the free throw line and was only 7-17 in the second half. The Cowgirls missed four free throws in the final 1:20.
Blair said the Cowgirls' free throw struggles allowed the Aggies to gain control of the game.
"I thought the key was their free throw shooting,” Blair said. "We weren't that great from the line either, but missing those free throws, especially those late in the game, helped us tremendously.”
Riley agreed.
"We just didn't take advantage at the free throw line,” Riley said. "When you do that, they aren't going to go away.”
OSU and A&M are now tied for fourth place in the Big 12.
"I hate to pull against my friend, but my God, I want that fourth spot too,” Blair said.
