Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Georgia Tech
Cowgirls Upset No. 19 Georgia Tech, 70-64
November 15, 2009 | Cowgirl Basketball
Nov. 15, 2009
STILLWATER, Okla. - Oklahoma State's women's basketball team pulled a 70-64 upset win over No. 19 Georgia Tech inside Gallagher-Iba Arena on Sunday to advance to the semifinal round of the preseason WNIT.
For the Cowgirls (2-0), the win against the Yellow Jackets (1-1) was OSU's first against a ranked opponent since winning at No. 12 Texas last February.
"I'm really excited about this win today. It was a good win against a good quality team," Cowgirl head coach Kurt Budke said. "This was a game last year that we would have figured out a way to lose. But we figured out how to win this year."
After giving up the game's initial basket, OSU went on a 7-0 run and never trailed again.
The Cowgirls held Georgia Tech in check offensively, limiting the Yellow Jackets to a 30 percent shooting effort that included an 0-for-13 total from beyond the 3-point line.
OSU took a 33-26 lead into the halftime locker room.
"One of the best things we did today was how we started the game. I think we started the game with a lot of confidence. They understood the game plan, executed well early, built up confidence and we kept building on it as we went," Budke said.
Senior Tegan Cunningham came alive in the second half, hitting five of her six shot attempts from the floor to score 12 of her 20 points on the night. The Melbourne, Australia native also pulled 10 rebounds to earn her third career double-double.
The Yellow Jackets stayed in the contest with a solid effort from the free throw line, making 20 of their 21 attempts in the second half and finishing 26 of 30 from the stripe on the day.
Georgia Tech chipped away at the Cowgirl lead on several occasions in the second half and drew within one possession at 58-55 near the eight-minute mark.
The Cowgirls answered with a 10-2 run to push the margin back into double figures with four minutes remaining.
Playing just her second game as a Cowgirl, Precious Robinson recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Senior Andrea Riley led all scorers with 24 points and also tallied a game-high seven assists while navigating the Yellow Jackets' constant full-court pressure. With her point total, Riley now has 1,977 career points to tie Texas A&M's Takia Starks for eighth on the Big 12's all-time scoring list.
The Cowgirls will play again on Wednesday when they travel to Albuquerque, N.M., to take on New Mexico in semifinal action at 8 p.m. (CST).
