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Oklahoma State basketball vs. Texas: Three takeaways from Cowgirls' loss to Longhorns

scott wright, the oklahoman
·4 min read

STILLWATER — First it was Texas’ Shaylee Gonzales with a basket off an offensive rebound. Then it was the Longhorns’ Madison Booker with a steal and a fastbreak bucket.

And it quickly became clear that Oklahoma State’s hot third-quarter run would not continue into the final period.

The 11th-ranked Longhorns (18-2, 5-2 Big 12) eventually pulled away for a 76-66 win over OSU (11-7, 4-3) on Saturday afternoon at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

OSU had fought back from a double-digit deficit to tie the game in the third quarter, but quickly landed back in a 10-point hole after a layup by Taylor Jones less than three minutes into the fourth quarter.

Four Texas players had at least 15 points, led by Booker with 19. Jones added 18 points and 14 rebounds.

Still, it was the brief sequence at the start of the fourth quarter that OSU coach Jacie Hoyt derailed her team’s upset hopes.

“We had two live-ball turnovers to start, and we just gave them layups,” Hoyt said. “You just can’t beat yourself against them.

“You work so hard, like we did in the third quarter, and then you start the fourth quarter like that, it’s a mindset and it’s hard to recover from that, I think.”

Here are three takeaways from the Cowgirl defeat:

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Anna Gret Asi ignites momentary rally

Oklahoma State trailed by 11 early in the third quarter, but almost singlehandedly, OSU point guard Anna Gret Asi brought the Cowgirls back.

She scored nine straight OSU points, including a 3-pointer at the 5:28 mark of the third quarter that tied the game at 45.

Her jumper at the 1:26 mark pulled the Cowgirls back within two points.

But from that point, the Longhorns retook control, stretching the lead back to double-digits early in the fourth quarter.

OSU shot 43.1% from the field for the game, but hit just 28.6% of its fourth-quarter tries, which included a pair of late 3-pointers by Asi after Texas had gone up by 16.

“We have to make shots,” Hoyt said. “Anna Gret was out of her mind in the third. She was making tough shots. To beat a team that’s ranked 11th in the country, you have to make tough, and you also have to make the open shots. We just didn’t make the open shots.”

Asi had 11 of her 22 points in the third. OSU center Hannah Gusters finished with 14 points and Lior Garzon added 11.

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Jan 20, 2024; Stillwater, Okla, USA; Oklahoma State Cowgirls guard Stailee Heard (32) shoots the ball over Texas Longhorns guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda (32) in the first half of a womenÕs NCAA basketball game at Gallagher Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Alcala-The Oklahoman. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Alcala-The Oklahoman
Jan 20, 2024; Stillwater, Okla, USA; Oklahoma State Cowgirls guard Stailee Heard (32) shoots the ball over Texas Longhorns guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda (32) in the first half of a womenÕs NCAA basketball game at Gallagher Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Alcala-The Oklahoman. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Alcala-The Oklahoman

Rebounding issues haunt Cowgirls

Hoyt quickly scanned the stat sheet while answering a question about her team getting outrebounded 39-24, and the result of her search might’ve still surprised her.

Hoyt was adding up the total rebounds for her two centers, Gusters, who is 6-foot-5, and Praise Egharevba, who is 6-3.

“Hannah and Praise had a combined one rebound, and that’s not gonna cut it,” Hoyt said. “I think they would tell you that as well. Our bigs have to have more of a paint presence. It’s as simple as that.

“Be tough, go pursue the damn ball. I don’t think we’re pursuing very well.”

OSU was led by Garzon, a 6-foot-1 forward, and Stailee Heard, a 5-foot-11 guard, with five rebounds each. Conversely, Texas had three players with more than five rebounds.

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Jan 20, 2024; Stillwater, Okla, USA; Oklahoma State Cowgirls forward Lior Garzon (12) drives past Texas Longhorns forward Aaliyah Moore (23) in the second half of a womenÕs NCAA basketball game at Gallagher Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Alcala-The Oklahoman. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Alcala-The Oklahoman
Jan 20, 2024; Stillwater, Okla, USA; Oklahoma State Cowgirls forward Lior Garzon (12) drives past Texas Longhorns forward Aaliyah Moore (23) in the second half of a womenÕs NCAA basketball game at Gallagher Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Alcala-The Oklahoman. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Alcala-The Oklahoman

Texas’ Aaliyah Moore shines in homecoming

Texas coach Vic Shaefer recently inserted forward Aaliyah Moore into the starting lineup and she has responded well. That included a strong showing against a team from her home state on Saturday.

The 6-foot-1 junior from Moore High School had 17 points and eight rebounds, hitting seven of 14 shots. She has scored at least 15 points in each of her three games as a starter.

“She’s playing really well,” Shaefer said. “Aaliyah Moore is back, I think. I’m hesitant to say that, because it’s only been three or four games. I told her I’ll say she’s back after about 14. But she’s really strung together some good games for us now.

“It’s hard to get a body on her. She really competes for rebounds. She got 14 shots today, that’s a lot of shots. But she got ‘em everywhere I wanted her to get ‘em.”

Moore has battled injuries in her career, including one that ended her sophomore season in December of 2022.

Yet she has returned to the form she showed during a breakout freshman season two years ago. Moore entered the game averaging 9.3 points and 4.4 rebounds for the season and increased both numbers Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State Cowgirls fall short against 11th-ranked Texas Longhorns