LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oklahoma State survived blowing most of their leads of 18 and 14 points to beat Princeton 82-68 on Saturday, giving Jacie Hoyt her first March Madness win in her fourth season as coach.
The eighth-seeded Cowgirls (24-9) were led by Achol Akot with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Jaydyn Wooten had 18 points and 10 assists and Micah Gray added 16 points.
Oklahoma State had lost in the first round in its last two March Madness appearances.
The ninth-seeded Tigers (26-4) closed within four in the third quarter, when they outscored the Cowgirls 20-13, and within five early in the fourth. Princeton was led by Madison St. Rose with 17 points. Skye Belker and Ashley Chea had 14 points each while combining to make seven of the Tigers' eight 3-pointers in the game.
Oklahoma State was too strong in the fourth, outscoring the Tigers 21-15, including a 9-0 run after the Tigers got to 63-58. The Cowgirls ran off nine straight points to start the fourth to snuff out Princeton's hopes.
Princeton remains stuck on just three March Madness wins in program history, the last coming in 2022.
The Tigers trailed by 18 points in the second quarter after the Cowgirls had runs of 14-0 and 8-0 to lead 48-33 at halftime.
Oklahoma State is into the second round for the first time since 2021, two years before Hoyt took over.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
