Milton’s season-best helps Cowgirls fend off Texas Tech | Sports

It would’ve been simple for the Oklahoma State ladies’s basketball workforce to collapse.

Entering Wednesday evening’s matchup with Texas Tech within Gallagher-Iba Arena, the Cowgirls had been already with out fifth-year guard Claire Chastain, who had began each recreation prior. They grew thinner as guard Naomie Alnatas, their main scorer, and beginning ahead Taylen Collins had been glued to the bench in foul bother.

None of that mattered, although. The Cowgirls used considered one of their grittiest performances of the season to fend off the Lady Raiders’ second-half rally and pull out an 86-74 win.

“This team has gone through so much in the last couple weeks with illness and injuries, and it’s been so inconsistent,” Cowgirls coach Jacie Hoyt mentioned. “But I’ve been proud of the way they just find different ways to step up and never feel sorry for themselves.”

One of Hoyt’s fixed praises for the Cowgirls (15-7, 5-5 Big 12) within the aftermath of the victory was how composed they had been down the stretch.

Texas Tech (15-7, 3-6 Big 12) fought its approach again into the sport behind a fourth-quarter scoring run from fifth-year ahead Bryn Gerlich, who spent her first two years of school basketball at OSU. Gerlich was on a mission throughout her closing recreation in Stillwater, significantly the fourth quarter.

She began the ultimate body by scoring 9 factors in a row for the Lady Raiders to offer them a 64-63 lead with 7 minutes and 50 seconds remaining. And after Tech fought its technique to a 70-69 lead with just a little greater than 5 minutes to play, the Cowgirls rattled off a 16-0 run that cemented the win.

“It just felt like everything was going their way, and nothing was going ours,” Hoyt mentioned. “But they never lost their poise or composure and just found a way at the end.”

In Chastain’s absence, and with Alnatas and Collins solely taking part in 22 minutes apiece, the Cowgirls wanted somebody to step up in the event that they needed to efficiently defend their house courtroom for a fourth consecutive recreation.

It wasn’t only one particular person. Instead, OSU ended up with 5 scorers in double figures. Fifth-year guard and Owasso native Terryn Milton led the best way together with her finest outing in vivid orange since transferring into this system earlier than the season.

Milton’s defensive efforts contributed to the Cowgirls forcing the Lady Raiders into 22 turnovers. Perhaps extra importantly, although, is that she tallied a season-high 22 factors to associate with 9 assists and 6 rebounds.

“I think I was just being aggressive, just taking what the defense gave me,” Milton mentioned. “When I’m aggressive, it opens up shots and layups for other people.

“Coach always says when people are in foul trouble, or people can’t play, it’s just next-man-up mentality. So, we all had that mentality.”

OSU made work within the put up, benefiting from Texas Tech having to account for 3-point threats Anna Gret Asi and Lior Garzon, who began rather than Chastain and contributed 12 factors.

The Cowgirls scored 48 factors within the paint, marking their highest complete down low since beginning convention play on New Year’s Eve, and marking considered one of their highest totals of the season. The earlier excessive was 44 factors within the paint throughout a house win over Texas on Jan. 7.

“You kind of have to pick your poison when you got so many shooters spaced out to the three,” Hoyt mentioned. You’ve gotta give one thing up, and I’d anticipate that some groups are gonna say, ‘We’d slightly quit a two than a 3 lots of time.’”

While how the Cowgirls received is of necessary be aware, merely discovering a technique to get a win was important. OSU and Texas Tech entered their newest assembly respectively sitting at seventh and eighth within the Big 12.

They’ll meet one another once more in lower than three weeks in Lubbock, and that one might be important as nicely. With each groups carrying related information into the ultimate month of the common season, sweeping the season collection in opposition to the Lady Raiders may very well be the factor that propels the Cowgirls previous them and nearer to the NCAA Tournament.

“This was a crucial win,” Hoyt mentioned. “Every win, at this point, is crucial. February, I think, is where a lot of that separation happens, and every game matters. There’s nothing easy, and I feel like you have to take care of business at home. I was really glad to get out of this one with a win.”