Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Southern Miss
Cowgirls Defeat Southern Miss, 75-72, At Desert Draw
December 20, 2008 | Cowgirl Basketball
LAS VEGAS, Nev.—Oklahoma State's women's basketball team held on for a 75-72 victory over Southern Miss on Friday during first-round action at the Desert Draw inside Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.
The Cowgirls (6-2) raced out to 9-0 lead and stayed in front for most of the half. However, Southern Miss (5-6) chipped away before taking its first lead of the game with 7:25 remaining in the half.
OSU responded with a 10-1 run and took a 33-25 advantage into the break.
Junior Andrea Riley was spectacular for the Cowgirls, scoring 17 points and dishing out six assists in the first half alone. The Dallas, Texas native finished with a game-high 35 points and matched her career high with 11 assists for her third double-double of the season.
Coming off a 2-of-14 shooting performance against Oral Roberts on Tuesday, Riley bounced back on Friday, hitting seven of her 13 shots from the floor and converting 19 of her 25 attempts from the free throw line.
The Cowgirls pushed the lead to as many as 13 in the second half before the Golden Eagles once again worked their way back into the game. Candace Rucker scored 18 of her team-high 24 points in the half to fuel the USM comeback.
After a pair of free throws by Rucker cut the OSU lead to 70-68 win 1:11 remaining, Riley made one of her two on OSU's next possession before USM scored the game's next four points to take a one-point lead with 28 seconds remaining.
Riley answered with a tough drive and layup seven seconds later and before drawing a foul and converted two more free throws to push the margin back to three with 10 seconds remaining.
The Golden Eagles had one final shot to force overtime, but Kendra Reed's 3-point attempt as time expired came up short.
Senior Shaunte' Smith joined Riley in double figures with 16 points.
The Cowgirls will take on the winner between UNLV and Cal State Northridge in tomorrow's championship game at 5:30 p.m. (CST).
NOTE
Riley was named today to the early season watch list for the Naismith Trophy, which is awarded to the national player of the year. The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2008-09 college basketball season. The watch list does not include incoming freshmen, although those student-athletes will be considered in the first vote in February, 2009. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2009 NCAA Women's Final Four in St. Louis, Mo.
