OSU women's basketball: Cowgirls showcase 'identity' with hot 3-point shooting vs. TCU
STILLWATER — When first-year Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt was hired last March and spoke of her goals to install an offense that played fast, scored often and shot well from 3-point range — quite the opposite of the basketball style the Cowgirls had been playing in previous years under Jim Littell — it seemed like an undertaking that would need a couple of years.
Hoyt’s plan instead needed just a few months.
The Cowgirls turned in yet another spectacular offensive showing in a 80-70 victory over TCU on Saturday afternoon at Gallagher-Iba Arena, hitting half of the 3-pointers they attempted in rolling to a third straight victory.
Super-senior point guard Naomie Alnatas, who came with Hoyt from Missouri-Kansas City, was 6-of-12 from 3-point range on her way to a game-high 24 points. Lexy Keys celebrated her birthday by going 3-of-3 from deep, while Anna Gret Asi and Lior Garzon added multiple 3-pointers each as the Cowgirls improved to 13-4 overall and 3-2 in Big 12 play.
A year ago, the Cowgirls shot 28.9% from 3-point range and averaged 57.7 points per game. But with Saturday’s performance (14 of 28) this year’s squad is at 38.0% from deep and averaging 77.7 points per game.
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“We’re a 3-point shooting team, and I think when we embrace that role, we’re really, really good,” said Keys, who had 13 points. “Coach Jacie talks about it all the time. That’s who we are. That’s our identity.
“When we’re passive, we’re not good.”
The change came with massive turnover. Only four players from last year’s roster remained with the team after Hoyt was hired. But she quickly identified and brought in a group of transfers who fit her offensive ideas, like Alnatas, Asi and Garzon, who combined for 46 points on Saturday.
With wins over Texas and Baylor leading into Saturday, the Cowgirls are riding a string of momentum into a challenging week with road trips to Iowa State and OU on Wednesday and next Saturday, respectively.
Here are two more takeaways from the OSU win:
Do-it-all Taylen Collins
OSU junior Taylen Collins had 14 rebounds, but that hardly encapsulated her contributions on Saturday.
In the second quarter, Collins stepped across the lane as a help defender and blocked a TCU layup. The ball was picked up in the corner by Alnatas, who turned and fired an overhand pass to Collins sprinting down the floor. She got behind the defense, caught the pass, dribbled once and laid it in.
Early in the fourth quarter, Collins found Alantas open across the court and dished a perfect pass for a 3-pointer from the wing that gave OSU a 20-point lead, its biggest of the game.
In addition to the 14 boards — her fifth game with at least 12 — Collins finished with six points, three assists and two blocked shots.
“She’s such a fun player to coach,” Hoyt said. “It’s been fun for me, challenging for me, just figuring out how to best position her to be successful, because she is a unique player. She scores off her athleticism.
“She’s been great for us, and really, just an anchor for us defensively.”
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Garzon keeps firing
A junior transfer from Villanova, Garzon has emerged as the top 3-point threat in the Big 12. And she kept her reputation intact on Saturday.
HItting three of her six attempts, she upped her season 3-point percentage to 48.4. She is a dangerous scoring threat off the bench, averaging 11.7 points per game. She’s sixth on the team in minutes, just under 20 per game, but third in scoring.
Garzon’s early 3-pointer helped the Cowgirls get out to a 16-8 lead in the first quarter, and she added two more 3s in the second half as OSU’s advantage ballooned to 20 before Hoyt went to her reserves.
While some coaches would feel the need to insert a player with Garzon’s offensive production into the starting lineup, Hoyt has stuck with the 6-foot-1 forward off the bench, and it’s working wonders.
“To see teams respond and react when she gets into games, that’s a great advantage for us,” Hoyt said. “We don’t look too much into who starts and who doesn’t. Our team all understands it’s not all about that, and I think Lior has had a great attitude about it.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State Cowgirls beat TCU women's basketball in Big 12 play
