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Thursday, January 17, 2008
No. 18 Oklahoma State remains perfect in Big 12
By MURRAY EVANS
Associated Press Writer
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- With his team coming off one of the most emotional wins in Oklahoma State history, coach Kurt Budke worried about how the Cowgirls might fare in their next game.
They started sluggishly, perhaps validating Budke's concern, but the 18th-ranked Cowgirls soon pulled away for a 76-41 rout of Missouri on Wednesday night.
Andrea Riley scored 19 points and Taylor Hardeman matched her season high with 16 points as Oklahoma State (15-1, 3-0 Big 12) remained tied atop the conference standings with Baylor and Kansas State and set a record for the best start in school history.
The Cowgirls, who have won eight straight regular-season games against Big 12 North Division opponents and 12 straight home games overall, are 3-0 in league play for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
''We have Texas A&M on Saturday and that is our main focus for now,'' Hardeman said. ''We are just ready to get back out there and show the world what we have.''
The biggest win of the season thus far was a 19-point romp over archrival Oklahoma, a team that owned a 17-game winning streak over the Cowgirls before Saturday. During the pre-game introductions Wednesday, fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena watched a 2 1/2-minute-long video of highlights from that game.
''I didn't think we were very sharp tonight,'' Budke said. "I think the kids are pretty much emotionally spent. Itąs hard to get away from what a great night that was. I didnąt think we were as sharp as we could have been, but saying that, having this margin of victory on a night that I didnąt think we were great says a lot."
Missouri (8-8, 1-2) lost in only its second true road game of the season. The Tigers also lost at South Dakota State on Nov. 18. Missouri, which beat Texas Tech on Saturday, failed to record back-to-back wins over South Division foes for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
Jessra Johnson led Missouri with 13 points, while Amanda Hanneman added 10 points. The Tigers shot 25.4 percent from the field, making more 3-point shots (eight) than 2-pointers (seven).
Missouri recorded its lowest point total since scoring 37 in a loss to Kansas on Feb. 7, 1999. Oklahoma State's 36-point margin of victory was its second-highest in 22 wins over the Tigers.
''I'm sure they were challenged to have a back-to-back outing after winning against Oklahoma,'' Missouri coach Cindy Stein said. ''I thought they played like they were inspired tonight. They're very talented. They have so many weapons.
The Cowgirls, coming off a 19-point win over archrival Oklahoma, entered the game enjoying their highest ranking ever, but they didn't look as sharp in the opening minutes against Missouri as they did in the pre-game highlight reel. Oklahoma State trailed only once, at 3-2, but it took awhile for the Cowgirls to pull away.
Oklahoma State led 22-15 when Hardeman hit a 3-pointer, starting an 18-6 run that ended with another 3-pointer by Hardeman and gave the Cowgirls a 40-21 halftime lead.
''We were ready to get back out there,'' said Oklahoma State guard Danielle Green, who scored 14 points, ''especially because a lot of people said (the win over Oklahoma) was kind of a fluke. We were ready to get out there and prove that we can do it again and that we weren't just on an emotional high. We just wanted to play.''
Missouri, which went 18-of-36 from 3-point range in its previous two games, went 5-of-12 from behind the arc in the first half, but the Tigers missed their first nine shots from inside the 3-point line and went 7-of-27 overall from the field in the half. Oklahoma State outrebounded the Tigers 29-12 in the half and 54-28 for the game.
The Cowgirls received a brief scare when Riley went down following a basket with 15:15 left and had to be helped off the floor. She stood at the end of the bench for a few minutes, then checked back into the game with 14:16 left. The 5-foot-5 point guard added six rebounds and four assists.
Maria Cordero scored 12 points for the Cowgirls, while Shyvon Spears added 11 rebounds and five blocked shots.
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