STILLWATER —
The Oklahoma State women’s basketball team has been looking for a challenge as a precursor to the Big 12 Conference season.
They got that challenge against Texas State — at least for one half.
Toni Young scored a season-high 24 points and grabbed 19 rebounds as the 18th-ranked Cowgirls used a second-half surge to defeat Texas State 90-55 Wednesday in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
“I thought Toni was the one that really kept us in the game in the first half by scoring and rebounding the ball and giving us second and third opportunities the way she did,” Oklahoma State coach Jim Littell said.
Oklahoma State (5-0) shot 36.6 percent from the field in the first half before knocking down a few more shots in the second half, outscoring the Bobcats 52-24 after the break to pull away.
“It was a really nice win for our team,” Littell said. “They had a good ball club, you saw that the first half and in beating TCU the way they did in their last game. I thought we came out and dominated a pretty good team in the second half.”
But while the Cowgirls struggled to knock shots down during the first half, it was their rebounding against a team that has already beat one Big 12 team this season that paved the way for Oklahoma State. The Cowgirls outrebounded Texas State (3-2) 67-34, with freshman Brittney Martin pitching in 12 rebounds to Young’s total.
“Coach (Littell) emphasized rebounding (Tuesday) and (Wednesday) a lot,” Young said. “He told us that the team that commits to rebounding and playing defense will win the game.”
“When you get 25 more shots than your opponents and it is a direct result of the offensive rebounds, it was huge that we rebounded the ball like that,” Littell said. “We’ve got the capabilities of doing that. We have the athleticism. Rebounding is just a desire and a want-to. There’s not a whole lot of technique to it and I thought our kids did a good job of that.”
Rebounding may have been the difference Wednesday, but it took a spark from Liz Donohoe to ignite the Cowgirls after a sluggish first 10 minutes. Donohoe finished with 22 points after scoring 14 in the first half as Oklahoma State took a 38-31 lead at halftime.
“I just hit some shots,” Donohoe said. “I went cold there for a little bit, but luckily we had Toni there to keep us in the game. All in all, I think we did a good job.”
With the win the Cowgirls will focus their attention on Saturday’s game against Texas Southern. And while they are riding high, Littell knows his team can be even better.
“Our mentality is the same every time,” Littell said. “Let’s go get better. Let’s find some things that we need to continue to work on and emphasize that.”
NICK SNOW is a sports reporter for the Stillwater NewsPress
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Related Photos
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NICK SNOW | CNHI NEWS SERVICE Oklahoma State sophomore Liz Donohoe drives the lane against Texas State's Erin People following a steal. Donohoe had 14 points in the first half to lead the Cowgirls Wednesday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
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NICK SNOW | CNHI NEWS SERVICE Oklahoma State sophomore Liz Donohoe tries to get past Texas State's Taylor McGilbra during Wednesday's game at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Donohoe had 14 points in the first half.
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Cowgirls get early challenge from Texas State
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Bronchos hit final match play spot in first round
Dillon Rust got off to a blazing start and ended up shooting a one-under-par 70 to lead Central Oklahoma in the second round of the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championships in Hershey, Pa. Tuesday.
Rust birdied four of his first five holes en route to his under-par round and the Bronchos ended up with a 300 on the day, giving them a 36-hole total of 597. The 300 leaves UCO eighth in the 20-team field heading into final round of stroke play, with the top eight teams advancing to match play that will determine the national champion. -
Area players earn All-State honors on the diamond
Three area baseball players were selected to the All-State Team this week.
Right-handed pitcher Holden Lyons from Edmond North, made the team after posting a perfect 7-0 mark with an ultra-low 1.29 earned run average.
Deer Creek’s Cole Lindley made it as an outfielder and Oklahoma Christian’s Austin Brooks landed on the list in the designated hitter’s spot.
The threesome will compete on the Large West squad on July 30 at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. -
Tennis camps offered in Edmond
Edmond Raquet Club is offering a pair of tennis camps beginning May 28.
For ages 5-8, a camp is offered from 8:45-9:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and for ages 7-15 a tennis camp is available from 6-6:55 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both camps run from May 28-June 13 and cost is $99 per camp.
A camp session for ages 8-16 will run on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30-9:25 a.m. May 29-June 12 for the identical cost.
For more information concerning these camps and others, call 341-4241. -
UCO winds up 10th nationally
Taylor Neidy fired a final-round 75, but Central Oklahoma failed to move up in the team standings at the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday.
The Bronchos closed with a 323 — making 11 double bogeys and three triples — and finished 10th in the four-day, 72-hole tournament with a 1,298 total on the 6,228-yard, par-72 Arthur Hills Legends Course at LPGA International.
Lynn ended Nova Southeastern’s four-year reign as national championships, finishing with a 1,187 total to edge the Sharks by three strokes. -
Central Oklahoma softballers make World Series again
Hayley Hudson gave Central Oklahoma a 5-4 lead with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning and the No. 19-ranked Bronchos staved off a seventh-inning Winona State threat to capture the NCAA Division II Central Super Regional championship Saturday afternoon at Edmond North High School.
The Warriors put two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh in a bid to pull out a late win and force a deciding game in the best-of-three series, but left fielder Devyn Frazier made a running catch in foul territory for the final out to set off a wild celebration on the field.
UCO improved to 47-11 — a school-record for wins — with its 23th consecutive home victory and advanced to the Division II World Series for the second straight year. The Bronchos will face Armstrong Atlantic in the eight-team World Series at 11 a.m. Thursday in Salem, Va.
“I’d say that was a nail-biter,” head coach Genny Stidham said. “It was a good game, both teams played well. Winona has a great team and they didn’t give up, but we came up with some big plays and came out on top. -
Central Oklahoma golf coach picks up award
Central Oklahoma’s Michael Bond has been named the NCAA Division II Central Region Coach of the Year by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, with Aly Seng and Erica Bensch both earning All-Central Region honors.
Bond led the Bronchos to perhaps the best season in school history in 2012-13 with top-five finishes in 10 of their 12 tournaments. UCO won three titles, including the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association crown and its first-ever regional championship, and finished 10th in the Division II national tournament. -
Workman's blast cranks UCO's engine; Bronchos cruise to 5-2 win
Nicole Workman’s solo home run gave Central Oklahoma a lead it would never relinquish and the No. 19-ranked Bronchos went on to topple Winona State 5-2 in the first game of the NCAA Division II Central Super Regional Friday night at the Edmond North High School Softball Complex.
Workman blasted her 14th homer of the season to lead off the second inning, with UCO adding three runs in the third and one more in the fifth to take a commanding 5-0 lead before the Warriors created some anxious moments in their final at bat.
WSU scored two runs and had runners on second and third on with just one out in the top of the seventh, but Kalynn Shrock got the final two batters to close out her fourth straight complete-game outing of the postseason and put the Bronchos in control of the best-of-three series. -
Richters rip competition at KickingBird
The KickingBird 2-man scramble was won by Jeff and Josh Richter, finishing with a 57.9 on May 11.
Jeff Jester and Kevin Wright wrapped up second-place honors with a 59.9 and Rick Morales and Ronnie Roberts placed third (60.1).
In the second flight, the top score was 60.4 by Jerry Bernhardt and Ted Carter. Picking up silver was the tandem of Jerry Fuller and Ramona Jacobi (61.2) and the third-place squad was Dyke Hoppe and Mark VanSickle at 62.0.
Morales was closest to the pin on No. 6 and Jeff Richter landed a dart on hole 14. -
Eagles' season finished; Lopez earns national honor
Southeastern, Fla. eliminated Oklahoma Christian 4-0 om the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series in Mason, Ohio today to advance to the tournament semifinals, while OC closes at 26-26.
OC would have advanced to the semifinals with a win, but completed a terrific turnaround from an 8-34 season in 2012. The Eagles made only the second national-tournament appearance in the program's history, with the other coming in 1972, when OC finished third in the NAIA World Series. -
Multiple baseball camps offered in Edmond
Edmond Schools baseball coaches Kyle Roberts (Edmond Memorial), Jeff Shafer (Edmond Santa Fe) and Karl King (Edmond North) will instruct the Edmond All-Star Baseball Camps starting May 28 at Edmond North High School.
A pair of all-skills camps will take place for kids ages 5 and older from May 28-31 and June 3-6. Times are the same, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
On June 7, a pitcher/catcher camp will be offered for ages 8 and older with the identical time frame. Cost is $35 for the pitcher/catcher camp and $125 for the all-skills camp.
For further inquiries, contact Karl King at 863-3570. - More Sports Headlines
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Bronchos hit final match play spot in first round
