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Sun March 30, 2008

Cowgirls shoot only 27.5 percent in defeat

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OSU's Shaunte' Smith tries to shoot over Sylvia Fowles of LSU during Saturday's game. By BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN
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By John Helsley
Staff Writer
NEW ORLEANS – Oklahoma State carried a shooter's chance into Saturday's Sweet 16 showdown with LSU.



Didn't take long for OSU's outlook to crystallize: No chance.

On a miserable shooting afternoon that saw the Cowgirls convert a season-low 27.5 percent from the field, OSU shot itself out of the game and the NCAA Tournament, falling 67-52 before a crowd of 4,181 at New Orleans Arena.

The Cowgirls, a decided underdog against a senior-dominated team riding four straight Final Four appearances, had figured they'd need a hot shooting performance to upset the Lady Tigers.

"A near perfect 40 minutes,” OSU coach Kurt Budke said.

Instead, they made just 5 of 33 shots in the first half, then misfired on their first 14 attempts after intermission, to sit at 10.6 percent through the game's first 25 ½ minutes, down 33-16 on the scoreboard.

Despite a late shooting recovery, the damage was long done.

"Never, ever have I seen that,” Budke said of the way his team's misfires kept mounting. "I don't even know how to respond to it.

"That'll be on my mind all summer probably.”

The game started with a bang for the Cowgirls, with Andrea Riley firing in a long 3-pointer on OSU's first trip down the floor.

It would be 5 ½ minutes before the Cowgirls would score again.

And when they finished the first half on another scoreless skid, this one spanning the final 3:57, the Lady Tigers produced an 11-0 run that offset their own slumping offense and made for a 29-16 lead at the break.

Riley was the only OSU player to make a field goal in the first half, accounting for 13 of her team's 16 points. She made 5 of 13 from the field through 20 minutes, while her teammates combined to go 0 for 20.

"Sometimes it happens that way,” said Cowgirls guard Taylor Hardeman, who made 1 of 4 shots and finished with three points. "As a shooter, sometimes it just doesn't fall.

"You just have to keep shooting and pray that it goes in.”

Divine intervention never came into play.

OSU emerged from the halftime locker room and proceeded to go 10 possessions — one that featured four three offensive rebounds and four shots — without a point.

Star LSU center Sylvia Fowles had something to do with OSU's frustration, swatting five balls and affecting many more. The 6-6 Fowles used her quickness and long arms to cause hesitation in the Cowgirls.

"I know when I drove in, she kind of altered my shot a little bit,” said OSU forward Shaunte Smith. "She's a great player. She has a long length. She's a great shot blocker.

"You either have to shoot around her, pump-fake her or pass it out.”

The Cowgirls gave Fowles fits defensively. The SEC Player of the Year finished with 12 points, but struggled to break free within OSU's sagging 2-3 zone.

Overall, the Lady Tigers shot 41.7 percent, a number boosted down the stretch.

"We held them off defensively,” said OSU guard Danielle Green. "Usually, it's the other way around, making shots and playing defense.

"Tonight, it was the other way around.”

With minimal production coming from the post, the Cowgirls fired up 29 shots from beyond the 3-point line, making just eight.

Riley hit six of those and finished with 26 points, although it took 28 shots from the floor and three trips to the foul line for her to get there.

"Just one of those nights when it's not going in for you. It wasn't because we weren't playing hard or we're not giving effort, it's just that it didn't go in.

"I don't think we were nervous at all. We've been in this type of situation all year. There's no reason anyone should have been nervous. The basketball just wasn't going in the basket.”

And the Cowgirls are going no further.

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