Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Chattanooga
Oklahoma State Closes Out Chattanooga, 70-63
March 20, 2010 | Cowgirl Basketball
March 20, 2010
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TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) - Oklahoma State looked lost for a half without the nation's No. 3 scorer Andrea Riley.
Then Toni Young and Tegan Cunningham took over as the Cowgirls used a fullcourt press to get back in the game.
Young scored 16 of her career-high 22 points in the second half and fourth-seeded Oklahoma State rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit to beat No. 13-seed Chattanooga 70-63 in the first round of the NCAA women's tournament on Saturday night.
The Cowgirls were missing Riley, who was suspended by the NCAA for the game because she hit an opponent in the back of the head in the first round two years ago.
Cunningham, who made 1 of 13 shots in the first half, scored 19 of her 25 points in the second for Oklahoma State (24-10), which outscored the Lady Mocs 51-26 after the break after scoring a season-low 19 in the first 20 minutes. Senior Ally Clardy, Riley's roommate and her replacement most of the game, had 10 assists.
Riley, a senior who averaged 26.6 points per game, cheered on the Cowgirls from two rows behind the team bench as frustrated Chattanooga committed 17 second-half turnovers. She went from visions of an ugly end to her college career to knowing she will play at least one more game.
Oklahoma State plays Monday night against the winner of Georgia-Tulane.
According to STATS, it was the biggest halftime comeback since 1999, besting the previous mark of 12.
Talk about a transformation.
The Cowgirls shot 17 percent (6 of 35) in the first half, 60 percent (21 of 25) in the second. They never made a 3-pointer all day, going 0 for 15, but they got back into it with layups and short jumpers.
Riley has scored 37 percent of Oklahoma State's points this season, along with an average of 6.5 assists per game, and her teammates obviously were pressing from the start to try to make up for her absence.
In one stretch, the Cowgirls missed 15 shots in a row, as Chattanooga took a 29-10 lead on Christopher's 3-pointer with 9:53 left in the half.
The Lady Mocs made their first five shots, three of them 3-pointers, then they turned as cold as the Cowgirls, going seven minutes without a point. Still, an 18-point lead had to feel comfortable. Oklahoma State's 19 first-half points were the lowest scoring in the tournament.
Then came that nasty press. The Cowgirls erased the 18-point lead in less than 11 minutes.
Chattanooga turned it over three straight times in the first 2:24 of the second half. With 11:11 to play, the Lady Mocs had far more turnovers (11) than they did points (six) in the second half.
Precious Robinson's layup finally tied it at 48-48 with 9:09 to play and Oklahoma State took the lead on Megan Byford's two free throws with 7:47 to go.
Cunningham's jumper put the Cowgirls up 60-53 with 5:04 to go, then the Southern Conference champs managed one last gasp.
Michelle Davis made a 3-pointer and Hollinquest a layup that cut it to 62-61 with 3:20 to go, but Oklahoma State forced two more turnovers and outscored the Lady Mocs 9-2 the rest of the way.
Chattanooga fell to 1-10 in NCAA tournament games.
