No. 22/19 Cowgirl Basketball opens season with exhibition against Langston

STILLWATER - The No. 22/19 Oklahoma State women's basketball team opens its fifth season under head coach Jacie Hoyt with an exhibition contest against in-state foe Langston on Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Admission to the contest is free and doors open at 5:30 p.m. Season ticket holders will receive first priority for their regular seat locations, with open seating available in the 200 and 300 levels. The matchup serves as the Cowgirls' lone exhibition of the season, as they'll open the regular season at home against Southern at 5 p.m. on Nov. 2.

The game will not be televised or streamed, but fans can listen to Casey Kendrick on 105.5 FM and the Varsity Network app.

Pokes Primer

The Cowgirls are coming off a 24-10 (12-6 Big 12) season in 2025-26 that saw them secure the third top-four Big 12 finish under Hoyt and reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2020-21.

OSU enters the 2026-27 season as one of the most anticipated teams in the country after making headlines this offseason with the addition of the nation's unanimous top transfer portal class that's bolstered by returning three-time All-Big 12 performer Stailee Heard.

The nation's No. 1 transfer portal class features five players who were listed as part of USA Today's Top 100 transfers: Audi Crooks (No. 1), Liv McGill (No. 3), Ellie Brueggemann (No. 36), Yuting Deng (No. 80) and Nene Ndiaye (No. 95). Hoyt and Co. also brought in the reigning DII Player of the Year, Talexa Weeter, to go with a pair of Big 12 experienced-prospects in LA Sneed and Zoe Canfield. Callin Hake, a late addition to the class, rounds out the group of nine transfers.

Freshmen Addisyn Bollinger and Mojca Jelenc also join the fray. Bollinger, a 5-foot-11 guard from Lubbock, Texas, holds single-season records at Frenship HS for points (596) and three-pointers made (83), while Jelenc, a 6-foot-7 center from Zelezniki, Slovenia, provides length and international experience.

The Cowgirls were picked to win the Big 12 Conference for the first time in program history. They received 215 points and earned seven of 15 possible first-place votes.

Crooks was tabbed the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, the first Cowgirl in program history to do so. The three-time AP All-American finished the 2025-26 season as the second-leading scorer in the country and has reached double figures in 98 straight games.

McGill picked up Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year recognition, the first Cowgirl to earn the honor since Marisha Wallace in 2013-14. Last season at Florida, she was the only player in the country to average at least 20 points, six assists and six rebounds.

OSU opens at No. 22 in the AP Top 25, its first time ranked in back-to-back preseason AP Polls since 2014-15 and 2015-16. The USA Today Coaches' Poll has the Cowgirls at No. 19.

Exhibition and Series History

Entering the contest, OSU has won 29-straight exhibition games, with the last loss coming on Nov. 14, 2003 against Northwest Sports. Last season, OSU claimed a 104-51 exhibition win over Oklahoma Christian.

Langston is one of nine different in-state schools the Cowgirls have hosted for exhibition play. The list of opponents includes Central Oklahoma, East Central, Langston, Northeastern State, Oklahoma Christian, Panhandle State, Southeastern Oklahoma State, Southern Nazarene and Southwestern Oklahoma State.

The Cowgirls are 3-0 all-time against Langston in a series that dates back to a 67-66 win in 1976. OSU won last season's meeting, 105-35, on Nov. 6, 2025.

Scouting the Lady Lions

Langston has a new head coach in Hall of Famer Crystal Robinson, the 1996 NAIA National Player of the Year at Southeastern Oklahoma State. She was the No. 6 overall pick in the 1999 WNBA Draft and was an assistant on the Seattle Storm's 2018 WNBA title team.

The Lady Lions won back-to-back Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season titles and made their 17th NAIA National Tournament appearance last season.

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Players Mentioned

Addisyn Bollinger

Ellie Brueggemann

Zoe Canfield

Audi Crooks

Yuting Deng

Callin Hake

Stailee Heard

Mojca Jelenc

Liv McGill

Nene Ndiaye

LA Sneed

Talexa Weeter

Oklahoma State University Athletics