A Night To Remember

A record crowd, an iconic jacket and a performance for the ages all played an integral part in the defining moment of Andrea Riley's Hall of Honor-worthy career at Oklahoma State.

The day started with a challenge to the OSU fanbase and ended with a much-needed Bedlam blowout victory for the Cowgirls on Jan. 12, 2008.

When it was suggested there would be more crimson than orange inside Gallagher-Iba Arena, the OSU fanbase responded by selling out the venue to mark the largest attendance for a women's basketball game in the state of Oklahoma (13,611).

Having lost 17 consecutive games against Oklahoma, the No. 25 Cowgirls were starved for a victory against their in-state rivals … Riley and Co. delivered in a big way. The sixth-ranked Sooners came to town for a showdown which saw both teams ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in the history of the series.

Despite a slow start offensively from Riley in the first half, the Cowgirls held a double-digit lead heading into the break. With its spark plug hitting just two of her 10 shots from the floor, OSU still found itself in front, 30-17.

The second half was a different story as Riley scored then scored again and then scored some more.

Whether knifing her way to the basket or firing away from long range, Riley got both of Oklahoma's point guards in foul trouble. Just two and a half minutes into the second half, she had sent OU's Danielle Robinson and Jenna Plumley to the bench with four fouls apiece.

"They were having trouble guarding her, they had a little bit of foul trouble and we were going to keep going to her until they stopped her,'' said OSU head coach Kurt Budke, who unveiled what would become his signature big-game orange blazer for the first time.

Riley scored 14 consecutive points during one second-half stretch and the Cowgirl lead would swell to as many as 23.

Her final basket of the contest epitomized the night for OSU's All-American. After recording a steal, she whittled down the shot clock in the backcourt, bringing the crowd to its feet in anticipation as she wove through all five Sooner defenders, laying the ball in as the shot clock buzzer sounded to a roar of approval from the packed house.

"It was all because of my teammates. My teammates pumped me up so much,'' Riley said. "Without them, I would be so arrogant, so cocky, so all of that.''

When the dust settled, Riley had scored 37 points over the final 20 minutes after hitting 10 of her 13 shots from the floor and 14 of her 18 attempts from the line in the second stanza.

Overall, she poured in 45 points to go along with a zero in the turnover category in 39 minutes of action.

"Half of their players were on her, and she still scored. She just took over this game,'' teammate Maria Cordero said. "She was scoring and you might as well let her keep the ball because no one could guard her."

When the final buzzer sounded and the Cowgirls' 82-63 victory was secured, the fans stormed the floor and paraded their Bedlam star around on their shoulders in celebration.

"To go from where we started to where it was tonight, this is a night that I'll never forget as a coach,'' said Budke, who went 0-16 in conference play with the Cowgirls just two seasons prior. "It is a night that our players will never forget as players and it's a night that our fans will never forget."

"This is the kind of win that has a chance to help a program take the next step.''

Amid the chaos, Budke took to the microphone to thank the sellout crowd.

"We could not have done this tonight without the greatest crowd in America. I think tonight we might have seen the best player in the conference in Andrea Riley."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Related Videos