Oklahoma State rebounding derails Missouri women
With the Missouri women’s basketball team coming off a confidence-building win over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State possibly exhausted after an upset win over in-state rival Oklahoma, there was a chance for the Tigers to sneak into Gallagher-Iba Arena and steal a conference road victory.
There was no letdown. The No. 18 Cowgirls (15-1, 3-0 Big 12) ruled the boards in a 76-41 victory over the Tigers on Wednesday in Stillwater, Okla.
Oklahoma State had six players with at least six rebounds, led by Shyvon Spears with 11. The Cowgirls held a 54-28 lead on the glass, and notched 23 offensive boards.
After Missouri’s Alyssa Hollins hit a 3-pointer to cut an early Cowgirls’ lead to 10-9 with 14:28 left in the first half, Oklahome State went on an 8-0 run. The lead was 40-21 at the intermission and the Tigers never closed within 20 in the second half.
Missouri (8-8, 1-2) struggled from the field all night. The Tigers shot a measly 15 of 59 and only got points from five players. Sophomore forward Jessra Johnson led the team with 13 points and added six rebounds.
Amanda Hanneman was the only other scorer in double figures with 10 points, but she only made 3 of 12 shots.
Four of the five starters for Oklahoma State scored in double digits, led by Andrea Riley’s 19. She came into the contest leading the conference at 22.5 points per game, but holding her below that average was little consolation for Missouri.
Taylor Hardeman hit 4-of-6 on 3-pointers and finished with 16 points for the Cowgirls. Danielle Green added 14 and Maria Cordero had 12.
After Oklahoma State drew the biggest crowd in state history for a women’s basketball game with a sellout on Saturday, only 2,927 were on hand for this one. Still, it was the largest attendance at a Missouri game this season. The Tigers were not up to the challenge.
Missouri will have another chance to grab its first conference road win on Saturday, when they take on the rival Kansas in the first installment of the Border Showdown in Lawrence. The game is slated to begin at 2 p.m.