Published: January 07, 2009 08:57 am         

No. 21 Cowgirls end non-conference schedule with whipping of Centenary

Now the real work begins.

No. 21 Oklahoma State had a final tune-up for Big 12 play Tuesday by crushing Centenary, 100-57, in front of 2,713 fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Cowgirls (11-2), who have won eight consecutive outings, open their conference season against Iowa State on the road Saturday.

“Everybody’s 0-0 again as the old saying goes,” said OSU coach Kurt Budke. “We’re getting ready to get into a lot of battles.”

The Cyclones are unranked, but they’re not far from breaking into the polls. They upset then-No. 20 Vanderbilt last weekend at Hilton Coliseum — where they are 7-0 this season. When OSU and Iowa State last met in Ames during the 2006-07 campaign, the Cowgirls escaped with a 45-44 victory.

“We haven’t had a really tough game besides TCU and Duke,” said O-State junior Andrea Riley. “I think our intensity and adrenaline will take over on Saturday.”

Saturday is just the tip of the iceberg. Six Big 12 teams are ranked this week with four appearing in the Top 10 (No. 3 Texas A&M, fourth-ranked Oklahoma, No. 7 Baylor and eighth-ranked Texas).

When asked what would be the mark of successful conference season, Budke replied, “Maybe surviving? This league this year will no question be the strongest this league has ever been. We have the possibility of at least two of our teams getting to the Final Four.”

Last season, a 7-9 record in conference play was good enough for a team to get into the NCAA Tournament. This year, a 6-10 mark may do the trick. The Cowgirls went 11-5 against Big 12 competition a year ago and finished third.

“We could be a better team this year and not reach that win total — the league is that good,” Budke said. “You better be at your best every single night if you expect to win any of these (conference) games.”

For the fourth consecutive year, the Cowgirls will be playing their Big 12 opener away from Stillwater.

“I guess I need to send someone else a Christmas card or something,” Budke joked. “I’d like to start at home sometime, but it is what it is. Win, lose, tie or whatever it may be, we got some great basketball games coming up.”

Tuesday was not one of those games. OSU held a comfortable 45-24 advantage at halftime and forced Centenary into 31 total turnovers. Riley, who scored a season-low 12 points against Texas-Pan American last weekend, led the Cowgirls with 31 points, six assists and four steals.

Junior Tegan Cunningham added 18 points, junior Megan Byford posted a career-best 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench, and freshman Kelsey Hatcher chipped in with 10 points.

Cierra Bush led the Ladies (2-12) with 11 points while Ashley Jackson and Natasha Draganic each added 10. Centenary — which outrebounded O-State, 27-24, in the first half — has lost five straight outings.

“We had an opportunity to play a lot of kids and spread out the minutes a little bit,” Budke said. “The real season starts now.”

Saturday’s contest against the Cyclones begins at 3 p.m. and will be televised by Fox Sports Net (Suddenlink 37).

     

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