Cowgirls' improbable run ends when Riley runs out of magical shots

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Little Miss Magic launched another prayer from somewhere the other side of the Power & Light District, a 22-foot shot that could tie this women's basketball bonanza game, and as the ball soared to its destiny, Municipal Auditorium went so stone-cold quiet, you could hear Kurt Budke's orange blazer drop.

Texas A&M led Oklahoma State by three points with 12 seconds left in the Big 12 Tournament finals, and Andrea Riley hadn't made a miracle shot in, oh, 13 seconds, so she most certainly was due another, the way her motor revved down the stretch.

Then the ball did the darndest thing you've ever seen. It got stuck.

That's right, stuck. Hard between the rim and backboard.

Stuck like the Cowgirls once were in the Big 12 basement. Stuck so hard, an OSU cheerleader, standing on a male cheerleader's shoulders, had to huff and puff just to pry the ball free, as if it didn't want to give up, as if Little Miss Magic still could will the ball through the hoop.

While looking for their voices that had fled, the 4,420 fans in Municipal, not to mention the players, too, turned to the possession arrow that signaled A&M's ball.

Then and only then did this grand old basketball temple breathe. Then and only then did the Aggies know they would vanquish these rowdy Cowgirls, who quickly are turning OSU into a women's basketball school.

Final score: A&M 64, OSU 59, and tons of new Cowgirl basketball fans, either watching on Fox Sports or seeing Budke's belles play for the first time.

This was a spectacular sporting event. Some left disappointed, mainly the OSU fans who made up well more than half the crowd, but no one left dissatisfied. Riley alone is worth the price of admission.

The 5-foot-3 dynamo scored 28 points, 13 in the final six minutes, including 10 straight OSU points that put A&M in its only second-half hole, 54-53 with 3:07 left.

But the Aggies are deep and talented and experienced. Truth is, they are a little bit better than OSU. Especially on a night when the Cowgirls played valiantly but not well.

All of which makes State's rally all the more remarkable.

Three players — Riley, Danielle Green and Shaunte' Smith — accounted for 57 of OSU's 59 points. The Aggies grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and outscored OSU 15-7 on second-chance points.

But the Cowgirls fought. Taylor Hardeman, who could get off but one shot, fought. Maria Cordero, saddled with foul trouble and shotless, fought. Smith, who lived through the 0-for-the-Big 12 despair of two years ago, fought.

Green, fearless and willing to shoot when others cower, scored 17 points and fought. And Little Miss Magic fought, mainly with ice-water veins and tenacious defense that led to back-to-back steals, igniting OSU's comeback.

Here's what you've got to love about Riley. She wakes up in a new world every play. Riley lost the ball out of bounds with 39 seconds left and OSU down two.

But with 25 seconds to go, Riley threw in a falling-out-of-bounds, how-did-she-get-that-shot-off 3-pointer, and suddenly it was 60-59 A&M.

So when OSU got one last chance to tie, Budke had no qualms with letting Riley have the reins.

"We trust our best player,” Budke said.

It was a crazy shot. Well-guarded, by a taller Aggie defender, but who knows when Riley's bag of tricks runs dry? After all, hadn't she beaten A&M in College Station with a 30-foot dagger? Hadn't she just thrown in that incredible 3-pointer seconds earlier?

Who didn't believe this last one would go in, too?

Said Green, "I thought it was good.”

Said Riley, "I really thought it was going in. But some things don't always go your way.”

Didn't happen for Little Miss Magic this time. But what a fun ride she's giving us all.