Wheeler, Jensen Help Cowgirls Dominate Tennessee State

Oklahoma State's women's basketball team ran its non-conference home winning streak to 50 in-a-row after knocking off Tennessee State, 86-48, inside Gallagher-Iba Arena on Tuesday.

Tuesday's win improves the Cowgirls to 2-0 this season and also marks the 111th victory for head coach Jim Littell during his tenure at OSU. Littell is now just one victory shy of tying former head coach Kurt Budke for the second-highest total in team history.

The Cowgirls put on an impressive passing display in the first half against the Lady Tigers as they recorded assists on 15 of their 18 first-half buckets. Diana Omozee was the engine behind OSU's offensive showcase as she dished out a career high seven assists in the first 20 minutes of action. The senior finished the game with eight assists in total.

In a dominant first half, Mandy Coleman and Karli Wheeler starred for OSU as they combined to score 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Wheeler's impact came primarily in the second quarter as she caught fire from behind the arc, draining three consecutive 3-pointers to serve as the spark of a 13-3 OSU run that saw the Cowgirls' lead grow to 23.

The reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, Kaylee Jensen, began to find her groove in the early going of the third quarter as she quickly poured in six points at the start of the second half. Jensen was a force in the paint all night as she finished the contest with 18 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes of action.

With the Cowgirls in complete control, Wheeler poured in her fourth 3-pointer of the contest early in the final frame. The Plainview, Texas native finished with 18 points to join her teammate, Jensen, as the game's leading scorers.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Coleman capped off her impressive display by sinking a pair of free throws to set a career high for points scored as she finished with 17 points and four rebounds.

OSU's defense was on display on Thursday as well as the Cowgirls forced 20 TSU turnovers and stifled the Lady Tigers throughout the contest, including holding their opponents scoreless for a seven-minute stretch during the second half.

The Cowgirls will be back in action on Thursday when they square off with Loyola Marymount inside Gallagher-Iba Arena at 7 p.m. OSU will "Remember the 4" on Thursday night in honor of former head coach Kurt Budke, assistant coach Miranda Serna and Paula and Olin Branstetter, who lost their lives in a plane crash on Nov. 17, 2011.