Cowgirl Basketball tips off 2026-27 season against Southern

No. 22/19 Oklahoma State vs. Southern
Game 1 · November 2, 2026 · 5 p.m. (CT)
Venue: Gallagher-Iba Arena (13,611)
Video: ESPN+ (Adam Hildebrandt, Bryndon Manzer)
TV: None
Radio: KGFY — 105.5 FM, Varsity Network App
(Casey Kendrick)
Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Tickets: okstate.com/tickets
Social Media: Twitter — @osuwbb, Instagram — @osuwbb
Facebook — www.facebook.com/CowgirlBasketball/

The No. 22/19 Oklahoma State women's basketball team officially opens its fifth season under the direction of head coach Jacie Hoyt when it hosts Southern at 5 p.m. as part of a basketball doubleheader inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.

OSU unofficially began the season with an exhibition win over Langston, 117-44, on Oct. 27, with six Cowgirls finishing in double figures. The Cowgirls enter 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.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
            Coming off a 24-win season that included the program's first NCAA Tournament victory since 2020-21, the Oklahoma State women's basketball team enters 2026-27 as the Big 12 Conference preseason favorite for the first time in program history. Head coach Jacie Hoyt, now in her fifth season, rebuilt the roster with 11 newcomers — nine transfers and two freshmen — to go with lone returner Stailee Heard.
            Heard, a second-team All-Big 12 selection last season, gives OSU a steady veteran presence after averaging 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds as a junior. The Sapulpa, Okla., native enters her senior year with 1,328 career points and posted the third triple-double in program history last season.
            Joining Heard is the nation's unanimous No. 1 transfer class, which brings 656 career games and 8,172 career points to Stillwater. The group of nine are highlighted by the top two prospects in the portal, the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year Audi Crooks (Iowa State), a three-time AP All-American, and the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year Liv McGill (Florida), a first-team All-SEC pick a year ago. Division II National Player of the Year Talexa Weeter (Fort Hays State), Nene Ndiaye (Rutgers) and Ellie Brueggemann (Lindenwood) each averaged double figures last season. Zoe Canfield (Missouri State), Yuting Deng (Baylor), Callin Hake (Nebraska) and LA Sneed (Utah) all bring experience, with Hake having played in 131 career games. Freshmen Mojca Jelenc, a 6-foot-7 center who has played for Slovenia's senior national team, and Addisyn Bollinger, a sharpshooter from Lubbock, Texas, round out the roster.

Notable Streaks and Trends
• OSU has won 16 of its last 17 season openers, dating to 2009-10.
• OSU is 33-2 at home over the last two seasons, including eight straight wins at GIA.
• OSU is coming a season that saw them set school records for points (2,757), scoring average (81.1), scoring margin (16.9), field goals (1,007), 3-pointers (310) and rebound margin (7.6).
• OSU has topped 100 points 26 times in program history, with nine of those games coming under Hoyt.
• Dating to the 2024-25 season, Stailee Heard as started in 65 consecutive games for OSU.
• Dating to the second game of her career in 2023-24, Audi Crooks has scored in double figures in 98 consecutive games, the longest active streak in Division I.
• Liv McGill has notched at least two assists in 53 straight contests.
• Ellie Brueggemann has made a 3-pointer in 13 straight games and in 87 of her 95 career games.
• LA Sneed has recorded an assist in all 32 games of her career.

Series History
            OSU holds a 5-1 record against Southern in a series that dates back to the Cowgirls' lone loss against the Lady Jaguars on March 9, 1976. The Pokes have won five straight against Southern —all in Stillwater — with the last meeting coming on Dec. 15, 2021, a 75-33 win for OSU.

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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