AnniePokely
03-02-2008, 08:13 AM
Jacob Longan - NewsPress
Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke said the perfect senior night is when the club’s seniors have big games and their team wins.
The coach was pleased Saturday night when his No. 17 Cowgirls whipped Texas Tech, 73-54, in front of 5,440 fans inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The team’s two scholarship seniors — guard Danielle Green and center Maria Cordero — scored the club’s first seven points as the Cowgirls raced to a 10-0 advantage.
Green finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Cordero scored five points with seven rebounds before fouling out in 27 minutes.
“Danielle was really special (Saturday) and Maria played the best defense she’s played in a while and really rebounded well,” Budke said. “A big key to this game was slowing down their inside game.”
In fact, Tech (16-13, 4-11) coach Kristy Curry said her team had the worst post play she’d ever seen.
She noted Stanecia Graham, Dominic Seals and Erin Myrick were a combined 6-for-20 with 14 turnovers and no free throws attempted.
The Cowgirls (22-6, 10-5) held a 55-37 rebounding advantage.
“It’s totally unacceptable,” Curry said. “They can’t even make a free throw. That comes down to effort.”
At the free-throw line, OSU sank 22-of-30 while the Lady Raiders made 12-of-20.
For the Cowgirls, sophomore point guard Andrea Riley made 9-of-11 free throws and 6-of-19 shots for 21 points. She joins Clinette Jordan as the only two Cowgirls to reach the 1,000-point milestone in their sophomore campaign.
“I hope she gets 1,000 more,” Budke said. “I know that. She is obviously a special player but she obviously has special teammates. There aren’t a lot of people that would let a freshman or even a sophomore like she is now come in and take that many shots. I’m sure she’d be the first to credit her teammates.”
Junior forward Shaunté Smith had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
For Tech, Maddy Brown scored a game-high 16 points off the bench and starting guard Jordan Murphree added 12.
After OSU started the game with that 10-0 run, the Cowgirls took a 32-27 lead into the locker room.
The Red Raiders led only once at 39-38 with 14:58 left in the second half. The Cowgirls responded with a 16-2 run that effectively ended the game.
“(Saturday) was a night where they were coming back but we told ourselves to keep our heads up because we’d eventually pull away and get the lead,” Cordero said. “It was a lesson learned that we can’t relax because this league is too good.”
Budke, Cordero and Green addressed the crowd after the game. Budke thanked the fans — both those who have been there for years and those who are “new to the family” — and asked them to help him build OSU into a powerhouse.
Cordero and Green were both emotional as they said their goodbyes and thank-yous.
“They are going to be winners in life,” Budke said. “They are just unbelievable people. You can’t find anyone on this team to say a bad thing about them. ... They are going to be tremendous alumni to bring back for years to come.”
Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke said the perfect senior night is when the club’s seniors have big games and their team wins.
The coach was pleased Saturday night when his No. 17 Cowgirls whipped Texas Tech, 73-54, in front of 5,440 fans inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The team’s two scholarship seniors — guard Danielle Green and center Maria Cordero — scored the club’s first seven points as the Cowgirls raced to a 10-0 advantage.
Green finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Cordero scored five points with seven rebounds before fouling out in 27 minutes.
“Danielle was really special (Saturday) and Maria played the best defense she’s played in a while and really rebounded well,” Budke said. “A big key to this game was slowing down their inside game.”
In fact, Tech (16-13, 4-11) coach Kristy Curry said her team had the worst post play she’d ever seen.
She noted Stanecia Graham, Dominic Seals and Erin Myrick were a combined 6-for-20 with 14 turnovers and no free throws attempted.
The Cowgirls (22-6, 10-5) held a 55-37 rebounding advantage.
“It’s totally unacceptable,” Curry said. “They can’t even make a free throw. That comes down to effort.”
At the free-throw line, OSU sank 22-of-30 while the Lady Raiders made 12-of-20.
For the Cowgirls, sophomore point guard Andrea Riley made 9-of-11 free throws and 6-of-19 shots for 21 points. She joins Clinette Jordan as the only two Cowgirls to reach the 1,000-point milestone in their sophomore campaign.
“I hope she gets 1,000 more,” Budke said. “I know that. She is obviously a special player but she obviously has special teammates. There aren’t a lot of people that would let a freshman or even a sophomore like she is now come in and take that many shots. I’m sure she’d be the first to credit her teammates.”
Junior forward Shaunté Smith had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
For Tech, Maddy Brown scored a game-high 16 points off the bench and starting guard Jordan Murphree added 12.
After OSU started the game with that 10-0 run, the Cowgirls took a 32-27 lead into the locker room.
The Red Raiders led only once at 39-38 with 14:58 left in the second half. The Cowgirls responded with a 16-2 run that effectively ended the game.
“(Saturday) was a night where they were coming back but we told ourselves to keep our heads up because we’d eventually pull away and get the lead,” Cordero said. “It was a lesson learned that we can’t relax because this league is too good.”
Budke, Cordero and Green addressed the crowd after the game. Budke thanked the fans — both those who have been there for years and those who are “new to the family” — and asked them to help him build OSU into a powerhouse.
Cordero and Green were both emotional as they said their goodbyes and thank-yous.
“They are going to be winners in life,” Budke said. “They are just unbelievable people. You can’t find anyone on this team to say a bad thing about them. ... They are going to be tremendous alumni to bring back for years to come.”