STILLWATER, Okla. – Trailing by just one point after the first quarter, a tough shooting stretch in the second and third quarters was too much for Lamar University (0-1) to overcome Friday in its women's basketball season debut at Oklahoma State (2-0). The Cardinals fell to the Cowgirls, 74-53.

"Super proud of the effort and toughness that these ladies played with today," said head coach Aqua Franklin. "Oklahoma State is a very talented team that is well coached. Our ladies didn't use our short bench as an excuse; they played their guts out every possession. If we continue to play this hard and with this toughness we will win a lot of games."
 
Amber Vidal wowed in her official debut, scoring 26 points on 8-19 shooting including a 6-for-10 mark from the three point line. She was also perfect from the free throw line and had four rebounds. Angel Hastings added in another 13 points, four assists, and four rebounds, and Briana Laidler was three points short of a double-double with seven points and 13 boards.
 
Trailing 17-10 with three minutes to go in the opening quarter, Lamar locked in and dominated the rest of the period. The Cards outscored the Cowgirls 9-2 in the closing minutes, making two three pointers and sinking 2-of-3 from the line while forcing three missed field goals by Ok State. At the end of the first Oklahoma State held only a tenuous lead of 19-18. Lamar shot 75 percent from three and 87.5 percent from the line in the first 10 minutes while holding OSU to 35.3 percent shooting and a 7-12 mark from the line.
 
Oklahoma State changed its tactics considerably in the second quarter, limiting LU's ability to get to the line and forcing tough shots. The Cardinals made just one of five three-point attempts and had only two trips to the penalty stripe in the second 10 minutes, and that allowed a 21-12 run by OSU that put the score at 40-30 in favor of the Cowgirls at the half.
 
A similar strategy continued to limit Lamar's offense in the third. LU got just nine shot attempts and four trips to the line, and Ok State outscored Lamar 20-9 in the period to lead 60-39 after three quarters.
 
Lamar was much more aggressive in the final quarter, nailing four of its six shots beyond the arc and matching Oklahoma State basket for basket. The Cards totaled 14 points in the closing 10 minutes, mirroring OSU's 14 points, on a 5-for-15 performance from the field. Again OSU limited Lamar's chances at the line though, allowing just two more trips to the line.
 
Lamar returns to the court on Monday, Nov. 11, when Howard Payne visits the Montagne Center. The Cards and Yellow Jackets will tip off at 11 a.m.