LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Tenin Magassa matched her career high with 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, Micah Gray hit some clutch 3-pointers and scored 17 and No. 21 Oklahoma State held off Kansas 57-51 in a Big 12 Conference regular-season finale on Sunday, earning the Cowgirls a third-place finish.
Magassa also blocked six shots for the Cowgirls (24-5, 14-4), who set a school record for conference victories in upping their win streak to four. Oklahoma State won’t play in the Big 12 Tournament until the quarterfinals as a top-4 team. The Cowgirls’s 24 victories are their most since winning 25 times in the 2013-14 season.
Gray sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Oklahoma State a 22-19 lead at halftime. She opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer for a two-possession lead. The Cowgirls upped their lead to eight before Kansas battled back to tie it twice — the final time at 51-all on a layup by S’Mya Nichols with 2:04 remaining. Gray answered with her final 3-pointer 40 seconds later and Oklahoma stayed in front from there.
Nichols scored 16 to lead the Jayhawks (16-13, 6-12), who finished 11th. All 16 teams will play for the Big 12 title. Placers five through eight receive a first-round bye.
Oklahoma State led 15-7 after one quarter. Kansas held the Cowgirls to four points in the second quarter before Gray’s 3-pointer.
Oklahoma State took a 37-34 advantage into the final period after a 15-all third quarter.
Kansas played with a lead for just 11 seconds but never trailed by more than 10.
Kansas will open the tournament on Wednesday against Texas Tech.
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