Cowgirls win big in final exhibition game
The Cowgirl basketball team picked up another exhibition victory Tuesday night, beating East Central 101-33 in Gallagher-Iba Arena, but the script wasn’t quite the same in the Cowgirls’ second exhibition game as in the first.
While the Cowgirls had built a 23-point lead barely 10 minutes into their first game, they only led by six halfway through the first period against the Tigers.
“It was kind of disappointing at the beginning of the game,” sophomore guard Andrea Riley said. “We could tell that we were going to start out bad because we weren’t really focused in warm-ups.”
Late in the half, the Cowgirls finally picked up steam as they went on a 19-5 run, keyed by a pair of three-point baskets from freshman guard Kristin Hernandez, and closed the half leading East Central 41-19.
“We were in it for about 15 minutes or so,” East Central coach Kent Franz said. “But then their athleticism, their talent, their depth, their energy, all those things just took their toll on us. It started snowballing, and we couldn’t find a way to stop it.”
Hernandez, who scored just two points against the Oklahoma Flyers on Friday, would finish the game with 23 points to lead all Cowgirls.
“The kid can really score,” coach Kurt Budke said. “I’m really encouraged by seeing the young lady go for 23 tonight. She’s got a great future here.”
The Cowgirls opened the second half the way they were expected to open the game—in dominating fashion—outscoring the Tigers 34-4 in the first 11 minutes of the period. OSU would outscore East Central 60-14 in the half.
The Cowgirls would break 100 points for the game, despite the team having scored just 22 with seven minutes left in the first half, when Hernandez stole the ball and converted a last-second layup.
“There were when six seconds left when I looked at the clock when I stole it,” Hernandez said. “I usually don’t even hear anything, but I heard it this time—[the crowd] erupted when I hit the layup.”
Budke said he was pleased with the team’s overall effort, especially the Cowgirl’s play in the second half.
“I thought it was little bit better tonight [than Friday],” Budke said. “I thought we did a good job of responding the last five minutes of the first half and carried it over into the second half, as far as intensity, picking up our pressure, picking up our toughness.”
Riley had another strong outing for the Cowgirls, scoring 22 points and picking up six assists and three steals.
The Cowgirls had one player return to the starting lineup from injury Tuesday only to have another sit the game out. Senior guard Danielle Green started the game after missing Friday’s exhibition with an ankle injury. Green scored 12 points in her debut and grabbed seven rebounds.
“Danielle was a little rusty because she hadn’t played in a long time,” Riley said. “To have her back was really fun, ‘cause I missed her Friday. I’ve been playing with her for a year, and she’s one of the most exciting players on the team.”
Senior center Maria Cordero did not play against East Central, however, sitting out the game due to a “coach’s decision,” Budke said. He said Cordero would play Friday.
Junior guard Taylor Hardeman turned 21 years old Tuesday and celebrated her birthday by scoring eight points, including two big three-pointers late in the first half, to go with four rebounds and three assists.
The Cowgirls will kick off their regular season schedule this Friday when they host the Air Force Academy at 6:00 at Gallagher-Iba.
Post a Comment