• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Bias' late bucket lifts Oklahoma State in overtime

Mar 22, 2014 - 8:17 PM West Lafayette, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - With 40 seconds to play in overtime, Tiffany Bias, who had not scored in the entire game, got a layup to fall, which proved to be the difference as Oklahoma State outlasted Florida Gulf Coast 61-60 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Mackey Arena.

Bias missed her other eight field goal attempts and turned the ball over eight times, but she dished out eight assists for the fifth-seeded Cowgirls (24-8). Roshunda Johnson scored 11 points, LaShawn Jones chipped in 10 and Brittney Martin grabbed 15 rebounds. Oklahoma State will challenge fourth-seed Purdue next.

Jenna Cobb finished with 16 points and Stephanie Haas tacked on 15 for the 12th-seeded Eagles (26-8). Whitney Knight had 11 points to match 11 rebounds.

Neither team shot particularly well in the first half. The Cowgirls connected on 36.7 percent from the floor in the period and the Eagles hit on 31 percent, while outscoring Oklahoma State 8-3 from the free-throw line. The score was level at 28-28 entering halftime.

FGCU looked like it might pull away midway through the second half, taking a 50-40 lead on a layup from Kaneisha Atwater. However, the Cowgirls went on a 17-5 run to take a 57-55 lead with just under a minute left in regulation. Fortunately for the Eagles, Atwater made another layup to force overtime.

After the teams traded the lead in the first few minutes of the extra session, Bias scored her only basket of the game following a steal by Liz Donohoe. The Cowgirls gave the Eagles plenty of chances the rest of the way, but FGCU missed a 3-pointer and turned the ball over twice down the stretch.