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Stillwater NewsPress, Okla.
Cowgirls' chemistry 'on display' in exhibition win over Langston
- Story byStillwater NewsPress, Okla.
- Cowgirls' chemistry 'on display' in exhibition win over Langston
Oklahoma State senior guard Ellie Brueggemann and the Cowgirl bench couldn't contain the excitement for their teammate, even late in a preseason game.
There was was plenty for OSU to get excited about in a 117-44 exhibition win against Langston on Tuesday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena, but there was no bigger eruption from the Cowgirls than when backup guard Zoe Canfield entered the game in the second half and hit back-to-back 3-pointers.
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"I think we just love each other so deeply just because we hang out all the time. The chemistry, we clicked as soon as we got here in the summer, and it was kinda on display tonight," Brueggemann said.
Six Cowgirls scored in double figures, and as a team they shot 17 of 34 from 3-point range. The scores and stats weren't important to coach Jacie Hoyt, though.
Nobody on the team had played together or been coached by Hoyt in a game before Tuesday, and Hoyt's biggest mission in the exhibition was to earn that first experience and get the season started.
"Of all the years, I would say I'm having the most fun that I've ever had because I love a challenge. I love to learn, I love to grow," Hoyt said. "And to get to have the talent that we have, that's a coach's dream. And now I'm just really enjoying the process of figuring out how I can help them be successful."
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LA Sneed shines
Starting point guard Liv McGill did not play Tuesday with an undisclosed injury, but Utah transfer LA Sneed showed she can dish the ball, too, recording 10 assists.
"I think LA is probably our best facilitator on this roster," Hoyt said. "She's just really good at understanding where the ball needs to go. I think that's kinda been in her DNA for even before she got here.
"And we do have so many scorers around her. I've been talking about people making sacrifices. For her, that hasn't necessarily been her thing, so I think that transition is pretty easy for her to just say, 'Where do I need to get the ball? and I'm gonna do it with a smile on my face.'"
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Audi Crooks makes debut
In her debut in a Cowgirl uniform, center Audi Crooks – the nation's No. 1 player in the transfer portal – finished with an efficient 14-point, 13-rebound double-double on 4-for-5 shooting in 23 minutes.
Crooks' standards, those are pedestrian numbers, but she's now on a team filled with scorers. Hoyt said Crooks changes the offense for everyone else, making good passes and drawing the defense down low. That opened up the floor for the Cowgirls to make 17 3s.
"She should have had more assists tonight. We just didn't knock down some of the great kick-outs that she had," Hoyt said. "She's been throwing me off in practice. She's starting to do some no-look kick-outs and things like that. And I think that was a part of her game that did need to grow, and that was a point of emphasis when she got here that we needed to work on.
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"I think she's gotten a lot better at that, so I love that for her because she is really just growing her game right now."
'Pure joy' for Brueggemann
Tuesday was a homecoming of sorts for Brueggemann, who is from Owasso but played the past three seasons at Lindenwood. She made the most of her first home game back in her home state.
Brueggemann played 27 minutes off the bench and scored 19 points, shooting 5 of 9 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. All around, it was a special night.
"It was a feeling that I've never felt before," Brueggemann said. "It was so fun getting to see all my family there. My grandparents were here, and they never got to come watch last year. Seeing them in the crowd meant a lot to me.
"Just pure joy, I feel like. Pure excitement. A feeling of when you're at home."
