Hannah Gusters powers Oklahoma State past depleted Texas Tech women's basketball: 3 takeaways

Down three regular contributors, Texas Tech women's basketball fell to Oklahoma State 60-50 on Wednesday at United Supermarkets Arena.

The result gave the Cowgirls a season sweep of the slumping Lady Raiders. The teams are now tied at 5-8 in Big 12 play.

Tech never led, trailing by nine after the first quarter. The Lady Raiders (16-10) didn't get closer than eight points the rest of the way.

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Oklahoma State feasts in paint

Injuries are piling up for Tech, which played without Jordyn Merritt, Elina Arike and Jada Wynn. Lady Raiders coach Krista Gerlich said Tuesday that Arike and Wynn, who have missed three consecutive contests, are a "game-time decision" for Sunday's game at No. 21 Baylor. There was no status update on Merritt before the game, the first she's missed.

Hannah Gusters, a former LSU Tiger, took full advantage of Tech's post depletion. The 6-foot-5 Gusters bullied the Lady Raiders to the tune of 14 points on 7 of 10 shooting in the first half. With Kilah Freelon Tech's only starter taller than 5-10, the Cowgirls finished with 32 points in the paint.

Gusters reached 20 points early in the third quarter and totaled 24 on 12 of 16 shooting. It was her most points since scoring 27 against Utah Tech on Dec. 20.

Texas Tech offense out of sorts

Playing with its smallest starting lineup of the season, Tech never found a rhythm on offense. The unfamiliar guard-heavy group was frequently late in the shot clock, leading to rushed attempts at the buzzer.

The result was the worst first half since the teams' meeting Jan. 10. The Lady Raiders trailed 35-21 at halftime, the lowest total for Tech since scoring 20 in the eventual 71-58 OSU win. The Lady Raiders also scored 21 first-half points, its second-worst mark, against UC Irvine.

It was the eighth time in 13 conference games Tech failed to reach 30 points before halftime. Each resulted in a loss. The Lady Raiders went 4-2 in such instances in non-conference.

Jasmine Shavers scored 13 points on 6 of 10 shooting in the first half, but the rest of Tech combined to shoot 3 of 20.

Lady Raiders losing streak continues

The Cowgirls exorcised some demons Wednesday while extending the Lady Raiders' woes.

The result snapped OSU's six-game losing skid, giving the team its first victory since Jan. 17 against BYU. The average margin of defeat during the stretch was 7.2, including a 69-68 loss at then-No. 8 Kansas State on Saturday.

It was Tech's fourth consecutive loss and second-straight at home. The Lady Raiders were 13-1 at home entering Saturday's loss to UCF.

It's the longest losing streak of the season for Tech, tying the worst stretch of 2022-23. The Lady Raiders lost seven in a row during the '21-22 campaign. Tech's next opportunities to end the skid will be ranked opponents at Baylor and Texas.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Hannah Gusters powers Oklahoma State past Texas Tech women's basketball