money Three takeaways from Oklahoma State's loss to Texas in Big 12 Tournament semifinals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Oklahoma State adjusted at halftime, but it still wasn’t enough.
Its bid to make the Big 12 Tournament championship game for the first time in 15 years fell short.
“I thought there were a couple of possessions or calls that really could have swung the game any which way, but ultimately we put ourselves in a position,” OSU first-year coach Jacie Hoyt said. “I'm very proud of that. Proud of the season that we had.”
OSU (21-11, 10-8) now awaits its NCAA Tournament destination.
The Cowgirls last made the Big 12 Tournament title game in 2008.
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Texas (25-8, 14-4) led by as much as 14 in the fourth quarter, taking advantage of nearly 20 OSU turnovers throughout the game.
OSU ended the game on a 7-0 run, but it was not enough.
OSU point guard Naomie Alnatas scored 13 points, while Kassidy De Lapp added 11 points and eight rebounds. Lior Garzon also had 11 points.
Texas’ Shaylee Gonzales scored 17 points, making 7 of 11 shots. Her father, Josh, even made the half-court shot at halftime to win $6,600 worth of gas from Phillips 66.
Longhorns point guard Rori Harmon also became the first player in tournament history to have 11 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in a single game.
Here are three takeaways from the loss:
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Longhorns’ length gives Cowgirls fits
Hoyt challenged her team at halftime.
Texas was dominating the paint. It had 11 second-chance points. OSU had zero.
The Cowgirls had to be better inside against a long, physical Longhorns team. So, they adjusted and held Texas to just two second-chance points in the second half while scoring 11.
“I thought it took a little bit of time for our team to adjust to their style, but I thought they did,” Hoyt said. “They did well over the course of the game.”
Texas’ length still gave OSU fits.
OSU started the day 5 for 10 from 3-point range — including 4 of 9 in the opening period — but went 3 of 9 the rest of the way, unable to get as many shots from the outside with Texas’ relentless pressure and size.
Alnatas said the Cowgirls “hunt” 3-pointers. They never stopped searching.
But they looked for more success inside the arc.
OSU also got a boost from De Lapp, who played 27 minutes off the bench and helped OSU wint the rebounding battle 34-31.
“A big, bright spot for us today,” Hoyt said. “I loved how she competed and battled. I mentioned the second-chance points. She was a huge part of that.
“You know, we really challenged them, knowing the size that we were going to be up against, all of our posts were going to be important.”
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Tough third quarter, turnovers plague Cowgirls
In OSU’s first meeting against the Longhorns — an 86-82 Cowgirls win — it had 15 turnovers. In the rematch, the Cowgirls had a dozen turnovers in a loss.
This time, they had even more.
OSU committed 17 turnovers, including six in the third quarter that allowed Texas to extend its lead to 10 points.
“That's just kind of what you can expect going up against their defense,” Hoyt said. “Again, I thought we had a lot of bad turnovers in the first half, but then we adjusted better in the second half.”
OSU did adjust after the poor start in the third. It did not commit a turnover in the fourth quarter.
But committing four in the first 11 possessions of the third was troublesome.
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What’s next for Oklahoma State
Texas coach Vic Schaefer knows few teams look forward to facing OSU in the coming weeks.
“They have given us three very, very tough games,” he said. “There won't be anybody lining up excited about playing them in the NCAA Tournament, I can tell you.”
With the loss, the Cowgirls now await their NCAA Tournament destination. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is at 7 p.m. Sunday on ESPN.
After Friday’s buzzer-beating win over West Virginia, they did not move in the NCAA NET Rankings, staying at No. 47.
They also remained projected as an eight seed by ESPN.
“It is true the outcome was not what we wanted,” Alnatas said. “But it's still excitement because I am going to experience something that I only have heard about before.”
Jacob Unruh covers college sports for The Oklahoman. You can send your story ideas to him at junruh@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @jacobunruh. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State loses to Texas in Big 12 women's basketball semifinals
