Cowgirls Snap Skid, Defeat Kansas, 74-70

Wednesday, January 25

Stillwater, Okla.

7:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

13-6, 3-5

Kansas

6-14, 0-9

Kansas

Oklahoma State

January 25, 2017 | Cowgirl Basketball

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Box Score
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OSU Postgame
Kansas Postgame
STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State women's basketball team snapped a four-game losing streak as they bested Kansas, 74-70, in front of 1,865 fans inside Gallagher-Iba Arena on Wednesday night.

With the win, Oklahoma State improves to 13-6 (3-5 Big 12), while Kansas drops to 6-14 (0-9 Big 12).

Sophomore Karli Wheeler spurred the Cowgirls' offense early on Wednesday night, sinking her first two shots from behind the arc and adding a free throw to help OSU jump in front of the Jayhawks. Wheeler continued to add to her scoring tally, sinking a mid-range jumper and continuing to convert at the stripe, as she finished the first quarter with 13 points.

The Cowgirls' intensity on the defensive helped keep KU's offense at bay during the first 10 minutes of action. Anchored by Kaylee Jensen in the paint, OSU held Kansas without a field goal for a five-plus minute stretch and went into the second quarter up, 23-12.

OSU continued to impress on the defensive end of the floor as the Cowgirls held the Jayhawks scoreless for more than five minutes in the second quarter, a stretch that saw KU go 0-for-9 from the floor in that time. After a jumper cut the OSU lead to 11, the Cowgirls shut down the Jayhawks' offense for another three-minute stretch of the second quarter.

Mandy Coleman then helped push the lead back to 15 as the junior grabbed her own rebound and scored on the put-back, before adding another layup and forcing a Kansas timeout on the ensuing possession.

In the second half, KU opened the half on a 9-0 run to cut the Cowgirls' lead to just four, but Coleman converted on an and-one opportunity to put her team back on top by seven. Coleman finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in the contest.

After Kansas used a 6-0 run to knot the game at 41-41, Kaylee Jensen kicked her game into high gear, scoring seven straight points to send OSU into the final frame up 50-44. Jensen recorded her Big 12-leading 10th double-double of the season on Wednesday, as the Genoa, Nebraska native tallied 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds against the Jayhawks.

The Cowgirls were unable to pull away until from KU until midway through the fourth quarter when Karli Wheeler poured in her third 3-pointer of the night and then sunk a layup on OSU's next possession to extend the lead to nine with four minutes to go. Wheeler finished with a team-high 22 points, which included going 7-for-7 at the free-throw line.

Kansas would close the gap and make it a one-point game, but that was as close as the Jayhawks got as the Cowgirls sealed the 74-70 victory.

Oklahoma State returns to action on Saturday afternoon as the Cowgirls travel to Manhattan to square off with Kansas State. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. in the Bramlage Coliseum.