Cowgirls Claim WNIT Championship

Oklahoma State took control of the game early and never let up, capping off a remarkable tournament run and an inspiring season.

Saturday, March 31st 2012, 4:59 pm

By: News On 6

NewsOn6.com

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – It was only fitting that an inspiring season finished with an inspiring result.

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls claimed the WNIT Championship on Saturday with a 75-68 victory over James Madison.

OSU finished out an impressive tournament run in front of a large home crowd, which was able to see its Cowgirls play throughout the tournament. Oklahoma State had home court advantage throughout the tournament.

Cowgirls forward Toni Young easily led all scorers in the game with 25 points to go along with eight rebounds. Young's performance throughout the tournament earned her the WNIT MVP award.

Liz Donohoe kept up her growing reputation as a double-double machine with 14 points and 11 boards.

And Lindsey Keller also reached double figures in the game with 10.

Oklahoma State found itself down 9-4 early but quickly rallied to take a 12-11 lead eight minutes in.

From that point on, there was little doubt who the better team was as OSU continued to push open its lead over the Dukes.

The Cowgirls used a 9-0 run that spanned from the end of the first to early in the second to increase its margin to 14.

An assist from Tiffany Bias to Toni Young to end the first half gave the Cowgirls some momentum heading into the break but was also part of some history for Bias.

She registered 11 assists in the game, giving her 229 total for the season and surpassing Andrea Riley's previous school record of 220. Bias also added 16 points in the win.

The Cowgirls led by as many as 17 in the game before settling for a seven-point final margin. James Madison stretched the game out late with some timely 3-pointers and plenty of fouling, but the Cowgirls hit enough of their free throws to put the game away.

OSU became just the second Big 12 school in history to win the WNIT Championship after Kansas State accomplished the feat in 2006.

The Cowgirls also registered their fifth-highest win total in school history, finishing out the year at 22-12 overall.

News 9 and News On 6 were at the event for full coverage. Check back with this story for highlights, interviews and more information as they become available.