Jan. 5—When the Oklahoma State women’s basketball made the trip north to play Kansas State on Wednesday night, the Cowgirls were in search of their first Big 12 Conference win of the season.

They entered the contest less than a handful of days removed from their Big 12 opener, an 80-65 loss to then-No. 21 Kansas.

And that search will continue, as the Wildcats rode a pair of 20-point scorers to an 86-72 win over the Cowgirls at Bramlage Coliseum.

“I think our team is just still trying to figure out what it takes to win in this league,” Hoyt told the radio broadcast after the loss. “You can’t play 35 minutes. You can’t play 36 minutes. It’s gotta be a full 40, and we didn’t do that tonight.”

The Cowgirls (10-4, 0-2 Big 12) strung together one of their hottest starts of the season in the first quarter, jumping out to a 9-0 lead before the Wildcats scored their first bucket.

It was an advantage sparked by fifth-year guard Naomie Alnatas, who followed first-year coach Jacie Hoyt into the program from Kansas City this offseason.

Alnatas scored 16 points in the first half, including 11 in the first 10 minutes. It was a drastic turnaround from a rough outing against the Jayhawks that included no points while going 0 of 4 from the field.

It wasn’t enough to keep the Wildcats away, though.

“I really challenged our team to start fast,” Hoyt said. “Then K-State responded well.”

The Wildcats (12-3, 1-1 Big 12) rallied to tie things at 21 by the end of the first quarter. And K-State rode a dominant second quarter to a 47-40 lead at halftime.

They were able to flip the script on everything the game had been behind forward Sarah Shematsi, guard Serena Sundell and guard Gabby Gregory. All three reached double-figure scoring before the break, and the trio collectively finished with 64 points. Guard Jaelyn Glenn (10) scored in double figures as well.

The Cowgirls struggled to stop Shematsi after the break, too. The fifth-year transfer from LSU notched a career high in points and rebounds by the end of the third quarter. She eventually finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, marking the first double-double of her career.

Her performance was emblematic of a K-State team that’s had to find a new identity after star Ayoka Lee underwent season-ending knee surgery in late August.

With OSU getting out to an early lead, the Wildcats needed players to step up, and they did — particularly Gregory.

Gregory, a Tulsa native who joined the Wildcats this offseason from Oklahoma, entered Wednesday as the Big 12’s leading scorer. And she showed why.

The Cowgirls fought their way back into the contest, with junior guard Lexy Keys, who had a season-high 17 points, driving the lane and using a layup to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 70-68.

That’s when Gregory took over, nailing a pair of 3-pointers — including the dagger — to help K-State pull away. After the Cowgirls were within 2 points on two separate occasions in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats ended the game on an 11-2 run.

K-State found a way to neutralize Alnatas in the second half, limiting her to 3 points after halftime. She finished with 19 points, six assists and three rebounds.

Alnatas was one of four different players to score at least 10 points, including three with 15 or more. Guard Claire Chastain (15) and forward Taylen Collins (10) joined Alnatas and Keys in double figures.

Perhaps the difference, though, was the disadvantage the Cowgirls were at in the paint. K-State outscored OSU 48-36 down low, which, in return, opened things for the Wildcats on the perimeter.

“They really tried to take advantage of us inside,” Hoyt said. “Part of our game plan was to guard in transition, and we did that, but then they made us pay in the paint.”

The Cowgirls will have two days of rest before hosting Texas at 11 a.m. Saturday in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The Longhorns travel to Stillwater on the heels of a road win over TCU on Wednesday evening.

“They’re gonna be pedal to the metal for 40 minutes,” Hoyt said of Texas. “We’ve gotta pick ourselves up and figure things out pretty quick.”