OSU Cowgirls: The Young and the Restless

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls are looking toward a new season, lead by a youthful roster.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:00 pm

By: News On 6

OSU Cowgirls: The Young and the Restless

Originally Published: Oct 31, 2010 2:9 PM CDT

Stephany Speck
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

STILLWATER, Oklahoma -- It’s a year that will likely be full of shifting pieces, rebuilding and young leadership, as the Oklahoma State Cowgirls look to recover from the loss of Andrea Riley and Tegan Cunningham.

The duo accounted for a majority of the team’s offensive accomplishments last season. Riley alone averaged 26.6 points per game, leading both of OSU’s basketball teams in scoring with 2,835 points. The first round draft pick shared the wealth as well though, providing 77 percent of her team’s assists in 2009-10.

Cunningham’s offensive contributions will also leave a void. She averaged 16.2 points per game, hitting double digits in 19 of the 33 games in which she played. On defense, she finished her senior year with 39 steals.

The Cowgirls, left without the powerful tag team of Riley and Cunningham, will now look toward a young veteran core to rebuild the team.

Fans may have caught a glimpse of Riley’s replacement last season, when the Pokes battled against Chattanooga in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Riley was forced to sit out, serving a one-game post-season suspension for striking an LSU player two years prior.

Toni Young, the then-freshman, saw an opportunity to help her team advance and give Riley a chance to end her career with OSU on the hardwood and with her team, as opposed to in the stands.

The Cowgirls were trailing the Mocs by 18 points, but Young came out strong in the second half, taking shots every chance she could. She posted 16 second half points for the Pokes, finishing the game with a career-high 22 points.

It was a perfect preview for the upcoming 2010-11 season.

Read more about Young’s breakout game.

Young makes up one-third of the team’s core leadership. She’ll be relying on seniors Laykn Garrison and Precious Robinson for their experience. Garrison, who transferred to OSU last year, played in all 35 games as a junior last season, starting in 28. She ranked third on the team last season, hitting 45 shots from three-point range.

Fellow senior, Robinson, averaged 7.9 points for the Cowgirls last year. She was aggressive on defense, grabbing an average of 7.2 rebounds per game.

Coupled with the experience, Oklahoma State is bringing in a handful of talented freshman. Names to watch include Tiffany Bias, Kendra Suttles, Carissa Crutchfield, Jazmyn Dorsett and Jenni Bryan. Look for Bias and Crutchfield to serve as fast point guards for the Cowgirls, while the aggressive Bryan and Suttles will provide relief for Robinson, Keller and Young in the front court.

The biggest difference from last season to this year is this: responsibilities of scoring can’t rely on one player. The Cowgirls will have to look to utilize the individual strengths of all five players on the court, instead of heavily relying on the talents of one.