JimBob
03-16-2008, 08:16 AM
Aggies top OSU for Big 12 title
By LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writer
3/16/2008
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Oklahoma State's Andrea Riley scored 10 straight points in the final 5-1/2 minutes of Saturday's Big 12 women's championship game against Texas A&M.
But it wasn't enough to secure the third-seeded Cowgirls their first Big 12 Tournament title.
The 5-foot-5 sophomore guard scored a game-high 28 points in a 64-59 loss to the fourth-seeded Aggies.
Riley wowed the Municipal Audito rium crowd of 4,420 when she buried a 3-pointer from 25 feet with 25.4 seconds to play to cut A&M's lead to 60-59. With 12.3 seconds to go and OSU down three, Riley fired a potential game-tying 3-pointer, but the ball stuck between the rim and the backboard.
"She's a big-time player and big-time players make plays," Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke said. "We just wanted the best shot. She didn't play very well until about six minutes to go in the game. We didn't play very well.
"They make you rush your shots. They make you pick up your dribble when you don't want to. We will leave here with our heads high."
Budke called a timeout to set up the final play.
"We called a couple of sets for Andrea," he said. "If we were to win, we had to get her going. All it takes is just a little bit to get her going."
Riley's late flurry gave the Cowgirls their first lead of the second half -- a 54-53 advantage with just more than 3 minutes to play.
Danielle Green finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.
Shaunte Smith added 12 points and eight rebounds as the trio combined for 57 of their team's 59 points. Kristin Hernandez was the only other OSU player to score.
"That was the difference," Budke said. "They (A&M) had four players in double figures and we had three."
A'Quonesia Franklin had 19 -- including four free throws in the final 23 seconds -- to lead the No. 11 Aggies (26-7) to their first Big 12 Tournament title.
Morenike Atunrase came off the bench for the Aggies to score 14, hitting four 3-pointers. Oklahoma City native Danielle Gant and Takia Starks finished with 11 and 10 apiece.
Despite the loss, No. 18 Oklahoma State (25-7) could earn a No. 4 or No. 5 seed from the selection committee for the NCAA Tournament.
"It's going to be interesting where they seed this team," Budke said. "We feel like we have a chance to win a couple of games in a row. If we're lucky enough to come back to Oklahoma City, so be it."
Oklahoma State struggled with A&M's in-your-face defense. The Cowgirls were 9-of-29 from the field (31 percent) in the first half.
Smith scored the first four points of the second half to key a 9-6 run, but each time OSU got close, the Aggies hit a 3-pointer.
In all, Texas A&M had nine treys, five in the first half and four at crucial moments in the second half.
Riley and Green combined for 27 halftime points and earned all-tournament team honors.
Hardeman made sure Starks wasn't much of a factor on offense.
Starks, a distant relative of former OSU and NBA player John Starks, had just 10 points Saturday, after scoring 16 and 19 on the Cowgirls in the regular season.
"Taylor said she wanted to keep her in check," Riley said. "She said she didn't think she had done a very good job on defense and wanted to do better. I thought she did a great job."
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Riley honored by ESPN.com
Oklahoma State sophomore Andrea Riley added to her list of accolades this week after being named a second-team All-American by ESPN.com. Riley was one of five players chosen to the second team by a panel of voters.
Riley, who is averaging 22.8 points, 4.2 assists and 2.7 steals per contest, was the lone sophomore selected to the second team. She was joined by Maryland’s Crystal Langhorne and Kristi Toliver, North Carolina’s Erlana Larkins and Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry.
A first-team All-Big 12 selection, Riley was also named a second-team All- American last week by Sports Illustrated and has been named the Big 12 Player of the Year by several media outlets.
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2008 Big 12 Championship all-tournament team
Heather Ezell, ISU; Danielle Green, OSU; A’Quonesia Franklin, Texas A&M; Andrea Riley OSU.
Most Outstanding Player: Takia Starks, Texas A&M.
By LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writer
3/16/2008
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Oklahoma State's Andrea Riley scored 10 straight points in the final 5-1/2 minutes of Saturday's Big 12 women's championship game against Texas A&M.
But it wasn't enough to secure the third-seeded Cowgirls their first Big 12 Tournament title.
The 5-foot-5 sophomore guard scored a game-high 28 points in a 64-59 loss to the fourth-seeded Aggies.
Riley wowed the Municipal Audito rium crowd of 4,420 when she buried a 3-pointer from 25 feet with 25.4 seconds to play to cut A&M's lead to 60-59. With 12.3 seconds to go and OSU down three, Riley fired a potential game-tying 3-pointer, but the ball stuck between the rim and the backboard.
"She's a big-time player and big-time players make plays," Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke said. "We just wanted the best shot. She didn't play very well until about six minutes to go in the game. We didn't play very well.
"They make you rush your shots. They make you pick up your dribble when you don't want to. We will leave here with our heads high."
Budke called a timeout to set up the final play.
"We called a couple of sets for Andrea," he said. "If we were to win, we had to get her going. All it takes is just a little bit to get her going."
Riley's late flurry gave the Cowgirls their first lead of the second half -- a 54-53 advantage with just more than 3 minutes to play.
Danielle Green finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.
Shaunte Smith added 12 points and eight rebounds as the trio combined for 57 of their team's 59 points. Kristin Hernandez was the only other OSU player to score.
"That was the difference," Budke said. "They (A&M) had four players in double figures and we had three."
A'Quonesia Franklin had 19 -- including four free throws in the final 23 seconds -- to lead the No. 11 Aggies (26-7) to their first Big 12 Tournament title.
Morenike Atunrase came off the bench for the Aggies to score 14, hitting four 3-pointers. Oklahoma City native Danielle Gant and Takia Starks finished with 11 and 10 apiece.
Despite the loss, No. 18 Oklahoma State (25-7) could earn a No. 4 or No. 5 seed from the selection committee for the NCAA Tournament.
"It's going to be interesting where they seed this team," Budke said. "We feel like we have a chance to win a couple of games in a row. If we're lucky enough to come back to Oklahoma City, so be it."
Oklahoma State struggled with A&M's in-your-face defense. The Cowgirls were 9-of-29 from the field (31 percent) in the first half.
Smith scored the first four points of the second half to key a 9-6 run, but each time OSU got close, the Aggies hit a 3-pointer.
In all, Texas A&M had nine treys, five in the first half and four at crucial moments in the second half.
Riley and Green combined for 27 halftime points and earned all-tournament team honors.
Hardeman made sure Starks wasn't much of a factor on offense.
Starks, a distant relative of former OSU and NBA player John Starks, had just 10 points Saturday, after scoring 16 and 19 on the Cowgirls in the regular season.
"Taylor said she wanted to keep her in check," Riley said. "She said she didn't think she had done a very good job on defense and wanted to do better. I thought she did a great job."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Riley honored by ESPN.com
Oklahoma State sophomore Andrea Riley added to her list of accolades this week after being named a second-team All-American by ESPN.com. Riley was one of five players chosen to the second team by a panel of voters.
Riley, who is averaging 22.8 points, 4.2 assists and 2.7 steals per contest, was the lone sophomore selected to the second team. She was joined by Maryland’s Crystal Langhorne and Kristi Toliver, North Carolina’s Erlana Larkins and Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry.
A first-team All-Big 12 selection, Riley was also named a second-team All- American last week by Sports Illustrated and has been named the Big 12 Player of the Year by several media outlets.
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2008 Big 12 Championship all-tournament team
Heather Ezell, ISU; Danielle Green, OSU; A’Quonesia Franklin, Texas A&M; Andrea Riley OSU.
Most Outstanding Player: Takia Starks, Texas A&M.