Oklahoma State's Megan Byford, left, and Texas A&M's Danielle Gant battle for a loose ball during Saturday's Big 12 Tournament final in Kansas City, Mo. By BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oklahoma State lost Saturday night in its first bid to claim a Big 12 championship.
OSU's Megan Byford fights with Danielle Gant of Texas A&M during the Women's Big 12 Basketball Championship... LAUNCH PHOTO GALLERY
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Yet the Cowgirls lost no respect.
Lost no faith.
Lost none of their expectations.
Texas A&M pulled away from OSU in a tug-of-war finish, winning 64-59 in the Big 12 Tournament title game before a crowd of 4,420 at Municipal Auditorium.
Down much of the night — a night in which two starters were held scoreless and a night when the Aggies continued to look like the league's hottest team — Andrea Riley and the Cowgirls still managed to make it memorable.
"We lost tonight, but we're winners,” said OSU senior Danielle Green.
The Cowgirls rallied late to take their first lead since the game's opening minutes and threatened to steal a victory behind Riley, who scored 15 of OSU's final 18 points.
When Riley lobbed in a 25-foot, fadeaway 3-pointer with 25.4 seconds remaining, the Cowgirls were within a point at 60-59. A&M's A'Quonesia Franklin hit two foul shots to make it 62-59, before Riley's most dramatic shot, rendering the arena silent, also left OSU limp.
Another long 3, this one from some 22 feet away, drifted toward the basket, then plugged, lodged in a pinch between the rim and backboard.
Two more Franklin free throws clinched the championship, the Aggies' first in the Big 12.
"Like I told my girls in the locker room,” OSU coach Kurt Budke said, "This season is not over. You got beat. You took a team that I think is a Final Four candidate down to the wire. If they're a Final Four candidate, who knows how far we can go?
"We're going to leave here with our heads high and proud of what we accomplished and move on to the next level.”
Unlike a year ago, when OSU went out in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament then had to sweat out the NCAA Selection Show, these No. 20-ranked Cowgirls are not only a lock for the 64-team field, they could gain a high seed.
That's the reward for a team that stands 25-7 and made a strong run through the conference tournament, advancing to the program's first Big 12 final.
This year they'll gather for the Selection Show again, except confident and itching to get back on the floor.
Riley finished with a game-high 28 points, nearly taking the game over in the final eight minutes. At one point, she scored on five straight OSU possessions.
But the Cowgirls missed the balance that has marked their strong play down the stretch. Riley, Danielle Green and Shaunte Smith accounted for 57 of the Cowgirls' 59 points. Starters Taylor Hardeman and Maria Cordero combined to take just one shot all night and neither scored. The bench chipped in but two points.
"We had three in double figures and couldn't find that fourth scorer tonight,” Budke said.
The No. 17 Aggies not only got heavy contributions from four players in double-figures scoring, they got a difference-making effort from top reserve Morenike Atunrase off the bench. Atunrase hit four of A&M's nine 3-pointers, scored 14 points and added three assists and two steals.
