Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Square Off Against Seminoles in Second-Round Action
March 23, 2008 | Cowgirl Basketball
Cowgirls Set To Take On
Fresh off its first NCAA Tournament win since 1996, Oklahoma State's women's basketball team (26-7) will take on Florida State (19-13) Monday at 6 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. The two teams will square off with a berth in the Sweet 16 on the line after OSU, the No. 3 seed in the New Orleans Regional, knocked off East Tennessee State, 85-73, on Saturday, while the Seminoles upset Ohio State by a 60-49 count to advance to Monday night's matchup.
About the Seminoles
Florida State enters the contest as the No. 11 seed in the region and advanced via its 60-49 over sixth-seeded Ohio State. Florida State is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The win over the Buckeyes was FSU's first against a ranked opponent in nine tries this season. Tanae Davis-Cain, the squad's leading scorer at 15.4 points per game, poured in a game-high 27 points, while Mara Freshour added a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. With the win, the Seminoles improved to 6-4 in NCAA action under head coach Sue Semrau. Last year, the Seminoles made their first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance with wins over Old Dominion and Stanford.
OSU vs. The ACC
The Cowgirls have not crossed paths often with members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. OSU is 1-6 all time against current members of the league, including an 0-1 mark against
One Win Away
If the Cowgirls were to win on Monday night, they would match a pair of program milestones. The Cowgirls currently stand at 26 wins on the season and are one shy of matching the highest total in program history. The OSU standard was set during the 1990-91 campaign when it finished with a 27-6 mark. That same season also provided the other mark the squad has in its sights as it is the only year the Cowgirls have advanced to the round of 16.
ETSU Leftovers
-Shaunte' Smith tied the school's NCAA Tournament single-game mark with 12 rebounds.
-Taylor Hardeman made three 3-pointers against the Lady Bucs to move into first among the school's career NCAA leaders with seven
-Andrea Riley's 26 points were the most by a Cowgirl in an NCAA Tournament game since Lisa McGill's 32-point effort against Michigan State in 1991.
-Maria Cordero scored a season-high 23 points against ETSU. The total was also her highest in six career postseason games, surpassing her 14-point output against Kansas in this year's Big 12 Championship.
-OSU is now 25-2 when leading at halftime this season.
-The Cowgirls had four players reach double figures in the scoring column. OSU has had four players score in double figures in 14 of its 26 wins this season.
Budke In the NCAA Tournament
While the Cowgirls are entering new territory with their first-round tournament win, head coach Kurt Budke is no stranger to postseason success. In his first two seasons as the head coach at Louisiana Tech, Budke directed the Lady Techsters to Sweet 16 berths. Budke also helped Tech reached the regional final in 2001 in his first year as associate head coach for Leon Barmore.
Smith Doubles Down
With her 10 points and 12 rebounds against ETSU, Shaunte' Smith has now recorded seven double-doubles this season. All seven of those performances have come in the last 14 games. Her double-double against East Tennessee State was just the fifth by a Cowgirl in an NCAA Tournament game and the first since Shea Jackson and Lisa McGill each achieved the feat in OSU's triple-overtime win over Michigan State in 1991. Smith now has 12 career double-doubles and is two shy of matching Kathy Schulz for sixth on the school's all-time list.
The Year was 1991
The Cowgirls are a win away from their first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance since 1991. How long has it been since the Cowgirls lone Sweet 16 appearance? That year, Phil Collins won the Grammy for Record of the Year with “Another Day in Paradise”, the cost of a first-class stamp was $0.29, The Silence of the Lambs won the top five Academy Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress and Boris Yeltsin became the first freely elected president of
What 2 Watch 4
Through two career NCAA games, Andrea Riley has 46 points and is just eight away from tying Clinette Jordan for third on the school's all-time NCAA scoring list ... Monday's game will be televised on ESPN2 ... OSU is 2-0 this season in ESPN2 games with wins at Nebraska and their tournament win over ETSU ... the Cowgirls have used the same starting five in 32 of their 33 games this season.
