Oklahoma
As Oklahoma State basketball continues Big 12 play, what have we learned about Cowgirls?
OSU women’s basketball coach Jacie Hoyt with baby Harlow, who got her first Big 12 win
OSU women’s basketball coach Jacie Hoyt with baby Harlow, who got her first Big 12 win
STILLWATER — The Oklahoma State women’s basketball team opened Big 12 play with an upset of Iowa State before the holiday break.
Now, after 10 days off, OSU will try to recapture that momentum with a road trip to face Baylor at 3 p.m. Wednesday in Waco, Texas.
As the Cowgirls embark on 2025, let’s take a look back at how they got here, with an 11-1 record and a 1-0 start in Big 12 play.
Here are three things we learned about the Cowgirls prior to the new year:
Bombs away from 3-point range
Entering the week, OSU was second nationally in 3-point percentage at 40.3%, and only two teams in the top 15 have attempted more than OSU’s 310 shots from 3-point range.
Micah Gray made 10 3-pointers in one game earlier this season, setting the OSU record.
At one point, Stailee Heard made 13 consecutive 3s over a three-game span, which set the OSU and Big 12 record, coming up one shy of matching the NCAA mark.
In a 76-point win over Alabama State, OSU made 20 3-pointers, which tied the Big 12 record as well.
And this effort isn’t led by one or two players. OSU has six players averaging at least one 3-point attempt per game, and five of them are hitting at least 38.5% or better.
Under third-year coach Jacie Hoyt, the Cowgirls have stressed up-tempo offense and a strong attack from 3-point range, but this team has taken that up a notch. They set the program record for points in a game with 113, then broke it soon after with 125.
Multiple scoring options
On Dec. 6, Heard scored 32 points in the win over Alabama State. With that she became the fourth Cowgirl to score 30 points in a game this season — in the 10th game of the year.
Macey Huard opened the season with a 31-point effort, setting the record for points in a Cowgirl debut. Anna Gret Asi had a 33-point game and Gray dropped 36 in the aforementioned game with her 10 3-pointers.
But the Cowgirls’ scoring prowess goes beyond that. Six players are averaging at least eight points a game and two more are not far behind.
Gray leads the way at 17.4 per game, with Asi at 13.8 and Heard at 13.4.
Depth inside and out
Hoyt has grown tired of referencing back to the injury battles her team faced last year, when her team was basically playing with six mostly healthy bodies by the end of the season.
The Cowgirls can almost double that right now, with 10 players averaging at least 10 minutes a game.
While the roster is loaded with gifted perimeter players, the most important development has been the addition of some athletic bigs to play in the middle.
Tenin Magassa, a 6-foot-6 super-senior, is averaging 8.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while 6-3 Praise Egharevba and 6-1 Stacie Jones each provide valuable minutes in the frontcourt.
Freshman Maria Anais Rodriguez, who is 6-1, continues to grow her role as well, having played some impactful minutes at times.
And the Cowgirls have size on the perimeter as well, with Huard, who is 6-2 and the 5-11 Heard, who leads the team in rebounding at 8.0 per game.
Oklahoma State at Baylor
TIPOFF: 3 p.m. Wednesday at Foster Pavilion, Waco, Texas (ESPN+)