Box Score
GEORGE TOWN, GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS – No. 24 Oklahoma State had to come back from a double-digit deficit in the second half, but the Cowgirls got outstanding production from Amari Whiting and Jadyn Wooten to round up a down-to-the-wire, 87-84 victory over Miami Saturday afternoon in the Cayman Islands Classic women’s tournament in John Gray Gymnasium.
OSU improved to 8-1 with their third consecutive win, going 2-0 in their visit to the Cayman tournament. Miami saw its mark slip to 5-2 while going 1-1 on the island.
Wooten led all scorers in the game with 26 points on 11-of-r14 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 at the free throw line. The sophomore guard added six rebounds and five assists. Whiting shot 7-of-11 from the field including 3-of-3 from 3-point range to finish with 23 points. Her stat line included six rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
Haleigh Timmer added 17 points on 6-of-7 field goals including both three-point tries, while Achol Akot had 12 points and shot 6-for-8.
As a team, the Cowgirls connected on 61.1 percent from the field, going 33-of-54. They were 8-of-16 from distance.
Miami, which saw its chance to tie the game at the buzzer come up short, shot 51.7 percent from the field and placed five in double figures in the scoring column. The Hurricanes were led by Gal Raviv with 21 points before her fifth foul in the final minute.
Also in double figures were Amarachi Kimpson with 17 points, Natalie Wetzel with 14, and Ahnay Adams with 12. Ra Shaya Kyle posted a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
The game featured 17 lead changes and six ties.
Down 10-8, Oklahoma State put together an 8-0 run to move on top midway in the opening quarter. The Cowgirls were challenged as Miami pulled to within one at 18-17, but OSU never relinquished the lead throughout the first quarter and stood on top by four, 21-17, after the first period. OSU shot 61.5 percent in the stanza.
Miami pulled even early in the second quarter and took a slim lead on a three-point play by Kyle, then continued to set the pace with a 9-0 run for a 31-24 lead. As both teams shot well (50 percent each), the Canes moved to a double-figure lead by halftime, 42-31.
That didn’t last long, however. Oklahoma State used a 16-4 run to open the second half and erased its deficit. The teams scratched and clawed throughout the period, each getting a single three-point edge one time. Other than that, the two stayed glued to one another within one or two points.
Whiting scored 10 and Wooten eight in the decisive fourth quarter for OSU, which began with a three-point edge by the Hurricanes, 63-60. The teams traded leads over the first five minutes, and Miami was up by a single point, 76-75, with 4:10 remaining.
The crucial points came with under three minutes left as Timmer drained a 3-pointer for a six-point OSU lead followed by a Wooten basket to make it 84-76.
Raviv hit a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left to make it 85-82 and Adams added a driving bucket with 19 seconds left to close it to 85-84.
Timmer’s two free throws with 18 seconds left pushed it to a three-point margin and Miami didn’t have an answer.