STILLWATER, Okla. —
Freshman forward Liz Donohoe scored 25 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as Oklahoma State advanced to the Women's NIT round of eight for the first time in school history with a 70-57 win over Missouri State on Thursday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
“That's definitely the best I've felt,” Donohoe said. “Just the crowd and how we were all playing got me going. We just had fun..”
Donohoe had 12 points in the Dec. 8 80-57 win over the Lady Bears in Stillwater. She nearly surpassed that in the first half as the Cowgirls (19-12) took a 31-29 lead into halftime thanks to Vicky McIntyre's turnaround jumper at the buzzer.
“I thought the second half we played well in there for about a seven or eight minute span,” Oklahoma State coach Jim Littell said. “That was the best we've been all year long, both on the defensive end of the floor and on the offensive end of the floor. ... I thought we really played well. We beat a good basketball team. They're experienced, they're difficult to guard because they throw a lot of shooters at you, and I'm just very proud of the way we played.”
Toni Young tallied 15 points, Lindsey Keller 12 and Vicky McIntyre 11 – two off her season-high – to lead Oklahoma State.
“I 'd be remiss if I didn't say how well Vicky McIntyre played tonight,” Littell said. “I thought by far it was her best game of the year. She was a force offensively and defensively.”
Missouri State struggled to knock down shots, allowing Oklahoma State to push the tempo and go on a 15-0 run in the middle of the second half. Of the 15 straight points scored by the Cowgirls, 12 came from Donohoe and McIntyre.
“We just told them, 'Let's go 1-and-done, get a stop and let's push the basketball,'” Littell said. “We told them at the timeout instead of running plays, let's just go play. ... I thought we got in a real nice flow. We got people open. We shared the basketball and made the extra pass, and you can see the smiles on their faces.”
Littell hopes those smiles continue to shine brightly as Oklahoma State will host former Big 12 foe Colorado, a 48-47 winner over Villanova, at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
“We haven't looked at either team because we were so focused on this game,” Littell said. “We'll go to work on video and preparing for that. Our group is getting so much better at locking in... I think that's the way we've grown as a team, just how we prepare.”
OSU Sports
Related Photos
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Oklahoma State forward Lindsey Keller (25) tries to get in position for a rebound as teammate Toni Young (15) shoots in the first period of Thursday's Women's NIT at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
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Oklahoma State coach Jim Littell give center Vicky McIntyre (34) some instructions during a timeout in the second half of Thursday's Women's NIT game at Gallagher-Iba Arena. McIntyre scored a season high points for the Cowgirls.
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Oklahoma State forward Liz Donohoe (4) scoots around Missouri State's Christiana Shorter (33) to rebound a missed free throw in the second half of Thursday's Women's NIT game at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Donohoe lead OSU with 14 rebounds.
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Oklahoma State forward Liz Donohoe shoots a jumper over a Missouri State player in Thursday's Women's NIT game in Gallagher-Iba Arena. Donohoe scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in OSU's 70-57 victory.
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Oklahoma State point guard Tiffany Bias (3) tries to keep a loose ball from going out of bounds while Missouri State's Karly Buer (14) sits on the floor of Gallagher-Iba Arena. Bias couldn't retrieve this ball, but recorded two steals in Oklahoma State's 70-57 victory of Missouri State in the Women's NIT.
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Oklahoma State point guard Tiffany Bias (3) hits a layup in the first half of Thursday's Women's NIT game against Missouri State. The Cowgirls advanced to the tournament quarterfinals with a 70-57 victory.
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Oklahoma State forward Toni Young (15) shoots over Missouri State forward Christiana Shorter during the first half of Thursday's Women's NIT game in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
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Oklahoma State players Liz Donohoe (4) and Toni Young (15) race Missouri State's Christiana Shorter for a loose ball in the first half of their Women's NIT game Thursday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
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Oklahoma State forward Lindsey Keller (25) goes up for a layup in the first half of the Cowgirls' Women's NIT game against the Missouri State Lady Bears on Thursday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Oklahoma State advances in the Women's NIT with a 70-57 win over Missouri State
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