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01-13-2008, 08:24 AM
SNP- Historic crowd, historic win for Cowgirls
Historic crowd, historic win for Cowgirls
Ryan Steele - NewsPress
A few years ago, it was a tall order to get 1,000 fans to attend any Oklahoma State women’s basketball game.
On Saturday, an open seat was hard to come by inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The 25th-ranked Cowgirls had their first sellout in program history as they upset No. 6 Oklahoma, 82-63. The contest drew 13,611 — which shattered OSU’s previous attendance record of 7,160 that was set as last year’s season opener against UC-Riverside that was part of a women’s/men’s doubleheader.
It also set a record for largest attendance at a women’s game in the state of Oklahoma. The previous mark was 12,413 that witnessed last season’s Big 12 Tournament championship game at the Cox Center in Oklahoma City between the Sooners and Iowa State.
“Seeing all those fans and what they could do for us, it’s just amazing,” said OSU senior Maria Cordero. “I don’t think they realize how important they are to us.”
Sophomore Andrea Riley added, “We always said, ‘If (the fans) come out and pack this house and have at least 8,000, we’re never going to lose.’ I thank everybody for coming because without those fans, I don’t know if we would’ve got down or if we would have kept playing.”
The Cowgirls jumped out to a 9-0 advantage and led by double digits for most of the second half. It marked their first win in the Bedlam series since 1999 and was another step in the right direction for a school that went 6-22 including an 0-16 mark in Big 12 play just two years ago.
During OSU’s 17-game skid against the Sooners, there were nights when the school didn’t record 45 total points. Riley had 45 points by herself Saturday and it marked O-State’s second-highest individual total in program history behind Donna Ridling’s 51-point effort in 1978.
“To go from where we started to where it was (Saturday), this is a night I’ll never forget as a coach,” Budke said. “It’s a night our players will never forget as players and a night that our fans will never forget.”
Riley added, “If you come to watch Cowgirl basketball, you’re going to be excited and it’s going to be intense. We’re never going to give up. We fight for 40 minutes.”
The Cowgirls (14-1, 2-0) host Missouri at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
http://www.stillwater-newspress
Historic crowd, historic win for Cowgirls
Ryan Steele - NewsPress
A few years ago, it was a tall order to get 1,000 fans to attend any Oklahoma State women’s basketball game.
On Saturday, an open seat was hard to come by inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The 25th-ranked Cowgirls had their first sellout in program history as they upset No. 6 Oklahoma, 82-63. The contest drew 13,611 — which shattered OSU’s previous attendance record of 7,160 that was set as last year’s season opener against UC-Riverside that was part of a women’s/men’s doubleheader.
It also set a record for largest attendance at a women’s game in the state of Oklahoma. The previous mark was 12,413 that witnessed last season’s Big 12 Tournament championship game at the Cox Center in Oklahoma City between the Sooners and Iowa State.
“Seeing all those fans and what they could do for us, it’s just amazing,” said OSU senior Maria Cordero. “I don’t think they realize how important they are to us.”
Sophomore Andrea Riley added, “We always said, ‘If (the fans) come out and pack this house and have at least 8,000, we’re never going to lose.’ I thank everybody for coming because without those fans, I don’t know if we would’ve got down or if we would have kept playing.”
The Cowgirls jumped out to a 9-0 advantage and led by double digits for most of the second half. It marked their first win in the Bedlam series since 1999 and was another step in the right direction for a school that went 6-22 including an 0-16 mark in Big 12 play just two years ago.
During OSU’s 17-game skid against the Sooners, there were nights when the school didn’t record 45 total points. Riley had 45 points by herself Saturday and it marked O-State’s second-highest individual total in program history behind Donna Ridling’s 51-point effort in 1978.
“To go from where we started to where it was (Saturday), this is a night I’ll never forget as a coach,” Budke said. “It’s a night our players will never forget as players and a night that our fans will never forget.”
Riley added, “If you come to watch Cowgirl basketball, you’re going to be excited and it’s going to be intense. We’re never going to give up. We fight for 40 minutes.”
The Cowgirls (14-1, 2-0) host Missouri at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
http://www.stillwater-newspress