Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Oklahoma State<BR>(Oklahoma State Cowgirl Classic Champ.)
Women's Basketball Edged By Oklahoma State, 67-60
12/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2003
STILLWATER, Okla.- Fresno State (2-3) nearly overcame a 15-point second half deficit before falling in a 67-60 loss to Oklahoma State (4-3) in the championship game of the Cowgirl Classic at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Cowgirls held late second half leads of 54-39 and 63-51 but the Bulldogs made it a one-possession game at 63-60 with 26 seconds to play.
Two free throws from Oklahoma State's Nine Stone ultimately iced the game and the Cowgirls went on to claim the 67-60 victory.
Junior forward Aritta Lane (Aiea, Hawaii) once again led the Bulldogs in scoring, tallying 12 points. For the weekend, she scored 27 points and pulled down 12 rebounds and was the Bulldog's lone representative on the Cowgirl Classic All-Tournament Team.
Freshman Brittani Green (Dallas, Texas) and junior Veronica Mack (Phoenix, Ariz.) each contributed 10 points in the loss. Senior Mindy Clark (La Habra, Calif.) had eight points and seven boards.
"We can take a lot of positives from a game like this," said head coach Stacy Johnson-Klein. "This is a young team and to be down by double-digits in the second half on the road and then cut it to three late in the game says quite a bit about these girls. I was pleased with our intensity and that we never gave up. We still have some things to work on but we left everything out on the floor tonight."
A well-played first half by both teams ended with Oklahoma State taking a 34-29 lead into the break. Five ties and five lead changes highlighted the opening period and the Cowgirls held their largest lead at six points on two different occasions.
A basket by freshman Jasmine Plummer (Natomas, Calif.) knotted the score at 16-16 with 10:44 to play, signaling the fifth tie score of the first half before Oklahoma State took the lead. Christian Hood's putback gave OSU a 24-18 lead with just over seven minutes to go, but the Bulldogs scored seven of the next nine points to slice the OSU lead to 26-25 after a Chantea Fleming (Chino Hills, Calif.) three-pointer off glass.
However, Oklahoma State closed out the half on an 8-4 run that included four free throws. Those free throws proved to be the difference in the opening period, as Oklahoma State was 10-13 from the foul line compared to the Bulldog's 6-9 clip.
Fresno State scored six of the first eight points to begin the second half, capped by a basket from Lane to make it 36-35 in favor of OSU with 18:26 to play.
Oklahoma State then exploded for its biggest scoring run of the game, outscoring Fresno State 18-4 over a seven-minute stretch that saw the Cowgirls build their lead to 54-39 following a triple from Nina Stone.
But the Bulldogs then countered with a 10-0 run, slicing the OSU lead to 54-49 with 6:25 to go after a turnaround jumper from Clark.
Three straight points from the Cowgirls extended the lead back to eight before Sutherland knocked down two free throws to make it 57-51 at the 3:55 mark.
After Oklahoma State padded its lead to 63-51 with 2:25 on the clock, Fresno State reeled off nine consecutive points to make it a one-possession game at 63-60 with 26 seconds left following a steal and lay-up from Lane.
Next up for Fresno State is a non-conference matchup at Long Beach State on Wednesday, Dec. 10 slated for 7:30 p.m.
