The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
21-12, 7-9
Oklahoma State (Semifinals)
25-6, 11-5
Women's Basketball ends Big 12 tourney with tough 75-72 setback to No. 18 Oklahoma State
03.14.2008 | Women's Basketball
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Andrea Riley had 23 points, including the game-winning layup with 1:18 to play, in No. 18 Oklahoma State's 75-72 victory over Texas in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament Thursday night.
Danielle Green also scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Cowgirls (25-6), who advanced to the title game against No. 11 and fourth-seeded Texas A&M on Saturday night.
After Kathleen Nash's fourth 3 pointer of the game gave Texas (21-12) a 72-71 lead, Riley drove coast to coast to put Oklahoma State on top. After neither team could score, Carla Cortijo had a chance to win it for the Longhorns when she drove the lane with 10 seconds left but was whistled for an offensive foul.
Shaunte' Smith, who took the charge, hit two free throws to put the Cowgirls up by three, and Cortijo then missed a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Smith finished with 12 points and 16 rebounds for Oklahoma State, which was the 13th ranked opponent that Texas faced this season.
The Longhorns, who trailed by 16 points at halftime on Wednesday night before rallying to stun No. 8 Baylor in the biggest halftime comeback in the history of the tournament, trailed 46-34 at the break before once again turning it around in the second half.
A day after opening up the final 20 minutes with a 19-3 run to tie the game against the Bears, Texas strung a 16-6 run together to start the second half to pull to 52-50 on a 3-pointer from Cortijo.
Texas took its first lead since the score was 4-2 when a 3 by Nash gave the Longhorns a 55-54 lead with 13 minutes left in the game.
After the teams traded baskets, Green hit two straight jumpers and made a pass from the seat of her pants to Riley, who knocked down a 3 from the corner to give Oklahoma State the lead again at 69-67 with 3:50 left.
Nash and Cortijo led Texas with 14 points each and Earnesia Williams added 12 points and seven boards for the Longhorns, who will await word on their NCAA tournament seed on Monday.
The Cowgirls led by one point, 11-10, before Texas missed 12 of 14 shots to fall behind 28-14. The 17-4 run by Oklahoma State was fueled by eight points from Riley, including a jumper with 9:04 left in the half that capped the run and forced a timeout from Texas coach Gail Goestenkors.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Texas will now await word on an at-large selection to the 64-team 2008 NCAA Women's Championship ... The announcement of the 2008 field will be made on Monday, March 17 on the NCAA Women's Basketball Selection Special, broadcast on ESPN and ESPNHD at 6 p.m. Central
- This was the sixth Big 12 Championship semifinal appearance for the Longhorns .... Prior to this year, Texas advanced to the semifinals in 1997, 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2005 previously ... Texas is now 3-3 in semifinal showings, advancing to the title game in 2000, 2004 and 2005 ... Texas won the championship in 2003 and finished second in both 2000 and 2004
- Texas, now 21-12, had its five-game win streak snapped ... Texas went 1-2 against Oklahoma State this year ... in the Texas five-game win streak, no UT opponent scored more than 63 points, and three were held to 55 points or less
- Oklahoma State was UT's 13th opponent ranked in the Top 25 ... Texas is now 6-7 against the Top 25 to date and has won three of its last six against the Top 25
- Texas has played in 13 games which have been decided by 10 points or less - including eight of its last 15 contests (all Big 12 games)... After tonight's three-point loss, Texas is 7-6 in these games -- 4-1 in games decided by 6-10 points (2-1 in Big 12 regular season play), and 3-5 in games decided by five points or less (including a 2-3 mark in Big 12 regular season action, and 2-4 against Big 12 teams if you count tonight's game) ...
- Going 2-1 in Phillip 66 Big 12 Championship play this year, UT's all-time record in Big 12 tourney action is 15-11 (.577) ... In Big 12 Championship tourney games played at Municipal Auditorium, which has been the host site for eight conference tournaments, is 9-8
- The 46 points allowed in the first half were uncharacteristic for the 2007-08 Longhorns, as they were the second-most yielded by the Longhorns this year in the first 20 minutes of play ... the most were 51 points which No. 1 Tennessee scored 51 to lead 51-32 at intermission in Knoxville, Tenn., on November 18 (Tennessee won, 92-67)
- Texas sophomore guard Brittainey Raven (11 points) notched double-figure scoring for the 12th game in a row and for the 32nd time in 33 games to date (a team best)
- Redshirt sophomore point guard Carla Cortijo (14 points) reached double-digit for the second consecutive tourney game ... Cortijo had a career-high and game-high 24 in UT's upset win over No. 8 Baylor in the quarterfinals (76-61)
