STILLWATER, Okla. - Nationally ranked Oklahoma State defeated the
University of New Orleans 84-54 on Wednesday night at Gallagher-Iba
Arena as the Lady Privateers lost for the second straight contest.
Tegan Cunningham paced OSU (3-1) with a game-high 23 points. 2008 All-American selection Andrea Riley was held to a season-low 21 points on a 5 of 12 night from the field.
The Cowgirls went to the charity stripe 32 times compared to just eight for UNO. OSU capitalized on the visits, making 25 of their free throws on the night.
Candice McGee's 12 points led UNO (2-2) while
Ashley Gorsh added eight points and seven rebounds.
Brittany Helm and
Jada Frazier each had seven points
The Lady Privateers took two early leads at the start the game on the back of Gorsh who scored the team's first two baskets. OSU responded, making 3 of 4 from beyond the arc out of the gates to take a 13-4 lead.
While the three-point shooting cooled off, the Cowgirls built their lead to 32-14 before consecutive UNO three-pointers by
Ty Felder and McGee brought the deficit down to 12 with just over five minutes remaining in the opening half.
The OSU advantage would reach 21 points heading into the half with the host squad shooting at a 44.1 percent clip from the field to just 32.3 for the Lady Privateers.
Riley led off the second half with a basket for the Cowgirls before UNO scored the next seven points to cut the deficit to 16 points at 47-31.
The turnover bug once again found the Lady Privateers as OSU extended their advantage to 28 at 66-38 as UNO had 11 turnovers through the first 12 minutes of the second half, compared to just nine in the first 20 minutes of the contest.
UNO continued to put up a fight down the stretch and got within 22 points of the Cowgirls after a 5-0 run capped by a
Rachele Monroe three-pointer. OSU picked up the pace one more time and extended their lead to a game-high 32 before cruising to victory.
Next for the Lady Privateers is a road contest at Kansas on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Live stats will be available at KUAthletics.cstv.com and the game will be broadcast in the state of Kansas on the Sunflower network.
