Texas A&M
15-4, 3-3
Oklahoma State
18-3, 6-1
Late Second-Half Run Leads No. 15 Oklahoma State Past No. 8 Aggies
Jan 31, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2010
Box Score 
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Box Score |
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Andrea Riley shook off early foul trouble to score 31 points and rally No. 15 Oklahoma State to a 67-63 win over No. 8 Texas A&M on Sunday.
The Cowgirls (18-3, 6-1 Big 12) trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half before Riley, who had three fouls early, led the comeback with her 27 second-half points.
The Aggies (15-4, 3-3) led by three before a 3-pointer by Riley tied it at 61-all. She got a steal on Texas A&M's ensuing possession and Precious Robinson gave Oklahoma State its first lead with a layup with 1:03 left.
Robinson added a pair of free throws with 30 seconds remaining to push the lead to 65-61.
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Danielle Adams & OSU Head Coach Kurt Budke |
Tanisha Smith made a layup with 10 seconds left to cut the lead to two, but Riley hit two free throws with eight seconds remaining to secure the win.
Texas A&M led by 10 points before the Cowgirls went on a 11-3 run capped by a 3-pointer by Ally Clardy to cut the lead to 55-53 with about six minutes remaining.
A&M scored the next four points before Riley scored five straight to get Oklahoma State within 59-58.
Texas A&M was led by Danielle Adams who had 24 points and Sydney Carter added 12.
It was an ugly game with the teams combining for 39 turnovers. Oklahoma State had 21 and A&M finished with 18.
Oklahoma State cut the lead to five points with a 3-pointer early in the second half, but Adams scored five straight points to stretch the lead to 33-23.
Tegan Cunningham had 18 points and 14 rebounds for Oklahoma State and Robinson finished with 10 points.
Texas A&M got off to a quick start and was up 15-4 with 12 minutes left in the first half. The Cowgirls scored five straight points, including four by Riley, to get within six points about eight minutes before halftime. But Riley got her third foul seconds later, sending her to the bench for the rest of the half.
The Aggies were ahead by five when they went on a 7-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by Adams to stretch the lead to 26-14 about three minutes before halftime.
The Cowgirls scored six of the last eight points of the first half to cut A&M's halftime lead to 28-20.
Oklahoma State's 20 first-half points were its fewest of the season.
A&M will host Missouri (11-9, 1-6) on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. (CT) at Reed Arena.
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the first time this season, Texas A&M used the starting five of Tanisha Smith and Danielle Adams (0-1). Carter made her fourth career start and only her second in Big 12 Conference play. Her last league start was ironically at Oklahoma State on Jan. 24, 2009.
• The loss snapped a four-game winning streak by the Aggies in the all-time series with Oklahoma State. The Cowgirls' only two wins in the last 13 meetings between the two Big 12 South rivals have both been decided by less than four points and occurred on the road including a 61-58 (+3) victory on Jan. 19, 2008 at Reed Arena.
• Sydney Carter made a career-high three blocked shots versus the Cowgirls. She also turned in her fifth game in double figures this season with 12 points.
• Danielle Adams registered her fifth 20-point game of her career and her third against league opponents with a team-high 24 points against OSU. She also drained a career-best four three-pointers in the ballgame which surpassed three made versus No. 6 Duke on Nov. 15, 2009. It marked the ninth time for Adams to lead the team in scoring this season.
• Tyra White recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds versus the Cowgirls.
• The A&M defense held Oklahoma State to its fewest first-half points (20) this season and OSU senior All-American Andrea Riley to just four first-half points. Danielle Adams scored 16 points in the first half of play which was just four points less than the entire Cowgirl team scoring at halftime.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Texas A&M Head Coach Gary Blair
On Oklahoma State's late second-half run ...
"We weren't having any balance on our team. We were doing a poor job in transition. We were just running with no technique, no reading and not getting it to the post player, before they could set up. I knew (Andrea) Riley and (Tegan) Cunningham would come back (in the second half). I told our kids, there is a big difference between All-Americans and Big 12 players. I think we saw that in Riley today. Oklahoma State's role players played their roles and their stars starred. We just played a team who had more heart in the end. We have to become a smarter and better team."
Texas A&M Sophomore Guard Sydney Carter
On the difference between the two halves and guarding Andrea Riley ...
"I don't think anything changed. In the first half, I did a good job of containing her. In the second half, I could have played her closer. It was a malfunction on my part and it won't happen again. They were definitely outhustling us (in the second half). We have been doing a great job in practice of rebounding and blocking out. We just didn't have a good team effort today, especially giving up 24 offensive boards. You can't win a game losing the rebound battle. This is just a sign that we need to go back to the practice court to get better and better."
Texas A&M Junior Forward/Center Danielle Adams
On the difference between the two halves ...
"In the first half, they (Oklahoma State) didn't come out as aggressive. In the second half, they came out and played with emotion and heart to lead them to victory. We were settling for jump shots instead of taking it inside."
Oklahoma State Head Coach Kurt Budke
On the game ...
"Well let me just say, `what a fantastic college basketball game today.' You saw two good teams battle and battle. If you ever have a chance to win at A&M, it's going to be a grind. You can't get your head down too much, if you fall behind. As long as we aren't down by 20, we know we still have a chance. We felt like we were in the game. Our two leaders (Andrea Riley and Tegan Cunningham) didn't have a good first half, but they came back and led us to victory in the end. I'm very proud of Ally Clardy who has played a lot this year and held down the fort for us (while Riley was in foul trouble). I don't know if you can ever outhustle the Aggies. Sometimes, when you get a nine-or 10-point lead, you kind of get relaxed. We were scrapping hard to get back into the game and we never stopped. It was such a scramble and a hard-fought game. The only difference is that I have Andrea Riley. We knew if she could get 30 shots tonight, we would have a shot to win today. She's one of the most special players in America. She's such an emotional player and plays with so much passion. It's a special win for us, because we know how great A&M is and how great of a coach Gary Blair is."
Oklahoma State Senior Guard Andrea Riley
On getting three fouls early and scoring only four points in the first half ...
"My team really needed me in the second half. I'm really proud of my team that they stepped up in the first half. I was trying to do whatever I could do to help my team win (in the second half). We played down and dirty, and you can't play soft against Texas A&M."
