AnniePokely
03-16-2008, 12:38 PM
A&M claims Big 12 title with 64-59 victory
Ryan Steele - NewsPress
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With 26 seconds left, Oklahoma State sophomore Andrea Riley drained a three-pointer that left the crowd in amazement.
Her next attempt also left the 4,420 fans at Municipal Auditorium in awe, but for different reasons.
Trailing 62-59 with 12.8 seconds remaining, Riley launched the potential game-tying trey but the ball got lodged between the backboard and the rim.
Jump ball was called, and the possession arrow went in favor of fourth-seed and 11th-ranked Texas A&M. A’Quonesia Franklin knocked down two free throws with 10.2 seconds left, and the Aggies claimed a 64-59 victory in the championship game of the Big 12 Women’s Tournament on Saturday.
“I really thought it was going in, but some things don’t always go your way,” Riley said.
OSU coach Kurt Budke added, “As it got stuck, you felt like your (tournament) was over. ... I’m going to trust my best player to make the best play. Give (Riley) credit, she wasn’t playing well at that point and she could’ve quit or pouted, but she found a way to lead her team back and gave them a chance to win the game.”
The Cowgirls trailed, 50-44, late in the contest, but Riley scored 10 straight points and put her squad on top, 54-53, when she hit a pair of free throws with 3:07 left. A&M held a 60-56 advantage at the 30-second mark, but Riley connected on a three-pointer from NBA range that cut the lead to 60-59.
Franklin’s free throws made it a three-point game, and on the next possession, Riley’s shot behind the arc got stuck and that ended the championship run for the third-seeded and 18th-ranked Cowgirls (25-7), who were aiming for their first Big 12 title in program history.
OSU had a few late errors that didn’t help its cause — Riley committed two turnovers in the final 1:32, and Danielle Gant hit a wide-open layup which put the Aggies ahead by two possessions with less than a minute on the clock.
“That’s why they’re the champs and we’re not,” Budke said. “They made the right plays at the end and we made a few mistakes. I thought that was the difference in the game — it was the veterans versus the ones coming on and they just made some crucial plays at the end.”
Riley, senior Danielle Green and junior ShauntĂ© Smith combined for 57 of OSU’s 59 points. Riley — who went 2-of-10 from three-point range but had five steals — scored a game-best 28 points, Green added 17 points and eight rebounds and Smith contributed 12 points and eight boards.
“That’s why we came up short because it was only three (players in double figures),” Budke said. “I was proud of our three — I thought they delivered but we needed one more to win a championship.”
For A&M, which won its first Big 12 tourney title and has claimed wins in 13 of its last 14 outings, four players reached double figures — Franklin (19), Morenike Atunrase (14), Gant (11) and Takia Starks, the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player.
The Cowgirls must now await their NCAA Tournament fate, which will be announced Monday night.
“Like I told my girls in the locker room, this season’s not over,” Budke said. “If (A&M) is a Final Four candidate, who knows how far we can go? We’re going to leave here with our heads high and proud of what we accomplished. We’re going to move to the next level.”
A year ago, OSU earned its first bid to the Big Dance since 1996 and fell to Bowling Green in the opening round. The Cowgirls, who were a No. 10 seed last season, could land a No. 4 or even a No. 3 seed this time with the chance of being placed in the Oklahoma City Regional.
“This year, they’ll come out ready to win instead of trying to see where we fit in this thing,” Budke said. “Last year, we may have felt like, ‘Are we good enough to be here?’ This year, it’s not a question.
“It’s going to be interesting where (the selection committee members) seed this team. We feel like we can win two in a row wherever we play. ... If we’re lucky enough to come back to Oklahoma City, so be it.”
Ryan Steele - NewsPress
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With 26 seconds left, Oklahoma State sophomore Andrea Riley drained a three-pointer that left the crowd in amazement.
Her next attempt also left the 4,420 fans at Municipal Auditorium in awe, but for different reasons.
Trailing 62-59 with 12.8 seconds remaining, Riley launched the potential game-tying trey but the ball got lodged between the backboard and the rim.
Jump ball was called, and the possession arrow went in favor of fourth-seed and 11th-ranked Texas A&M. A’Quonesia Franklin knocked down two free throws with 10.2 seconds left, and the Aggies claimed a 64-59 victory in the championship game of the Big 12 Women’s Tournament on Saturday.
“I really thought it was going in, but some things don’t always go your way,” Riley said.
OSU coach Kurt Budke added, “As it got stuck, you felt like your (tournament) was over. ... I’m going to trust my best player to make the best play. Give (Riley) credit, she wasn’t playing well at that point and she could’ve quit or pouted, but she found a way to lead her team back and gave them a chance to win the game.”
The Cowgirls trailed, 50-44, late in the contest, but Riley scored 10 straight points and put her squad on top, 54-53, when she hit a pair of free throws with 3:07 left. A&M held a 60-56 advantage at the 30-second mark, but Riley connected on a three-pointer from NBA range that cut the lead to 60-59.
Franklin’s free throws made it a three-point game, and on the next possession, Riley’s shot behind the arc got stuck and that ended the championship run for the third-seeded and 18th-ranked Cowgirls (25-7), who were aiming for their first Big 12 title in program history.
OSU had a few late errors that didn’t help its cause — Riley committed two turnovers in the final 1:32, and Danielle Gant hit a wide-open layup which put the Aggies ahead by two possessions with less than a minute on the clock.
“That’s why they’re the champs and we’re not,” Budke said. “They made the right plays at the end and we made a few mistakes. I thought that was the difference in the game — it was the veterans versus the ones coming on and they just made some crucial plays at the end.”
Riley, senior Danielle Green and junior ShauntĂ© Smith combined for 57 of OSU’s 59 points. Riley — who went 2-of-10 from three-point range but had five steals — scored a game-best 28 points, Green added 17 points and eight rebounds and Smith contributed 12 points and eight boards.
“That’s why we came up short because it was only three (players in double figures),” Budke said. “I was proud of our three — I thought they delivered but we needed one more to win a championship.”
For A&M, which won its first Big 12 tourney title and has claimed wins in 13 of its last 14 outings, four players reached double figures — Franklin (19), Morenike Atunrase (14), Gant (11) and Takia Starks, the tourney’s Most Outstanding Player.
The Cowgirls must now await their NCAA Tournament fate, which will be announced Monday night.
“Like I told my girls in the locker room, this season’s not over,” Budke said. “If (A&M) is a Final Four candidate, who knows how far we can go? We’re going to leave here with our heads high and proud of what we accomplished. We’re going to move to the next level.”
A year ago, OSU earned its first bid to the Big Dance since 1996 and fell to Bowling Green in the opening round. The Cowgirls, who were a No. 10 seed last season, could land a No. 4 or even a No. 3 seed this time with the chance of being placed in the Oklahoma City Regional.
“This year, they’ll come out ready to win instead of trying to see where we fit in this thing,” Budke said. “Last year, we may have felt like, ‘Are we good enough to be here?’ This year, it’s not a question.
“It’s going to be interesting where (the selection committee members) seed this team. We feel like we can win two in a row wherever we play. ... If we’re lucky enough to come back to Oklahoma City, so be it.”