Audi Crooks Scores 22 on 9-of-10 Shooting as No. 22 Oklahoma State Routs Southern 81-39 in Opener

Audi Crooks needed one game to show Stillwater what the fuss was about. Playing her first game for No. 22 Oklahoma State, the center made 9 of her 10 shots, scored a game-high 22 points and helped the Cowgirls smother Southern 81-39 in the season opener on Nov. 2 at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

It was the 100th game of Crooks' college career and her 99th straight in double figures. Nene Ndiaye added 16 points and four steals, Stailee Heard scored 12, and Yuting Deng and Liv McGill combined for 22 rebounds as Oklahoma State controlled the glass 54-30. The Cowgirls led for 39 minutes and 17 seconds and built the lead as high as 47.

Here is the box score (opens in a new tab) and Oklahoma State's recap (opens in a new tab).

A fast start from Ndiaye

The first points of the new era came from the perimeter. Ndiaye, a transfer from Rutgers, buried a 3 just 43 seconds into the game, and she had eight points by the end of the first quarter. Southern made 6 of 14 shots in the opening period to keep it respectable, but the Cowgirls scored 25 points in the quarter and led 25-13 after 10 minutes.

The second quarter was where the gap started to grow. Heard and Crooks scored six points apiece in the period, Southern made only 4 of 17 shots, and Oklahoma State took a 46-23 lead into halftime. The Cowgirls owned the boards by then, with 27 first-half rebounds, and Deng led everyone with seven of them before the break.

The third quarter ends it

Whatever chance Southern had disappeared after halftime. Oklahoma State opened the second half with a 10-2 run over the first four minutes, and the defense never let up. Southern made 1 of 16 shots in the third quarter, missed all seven of its 3-point tries and scored four points in the period. The Cowgirls won the quarter 20-4 and led 66-27 heading to the fourth.

The fourth quarter included another stretch of more than four minutes without a Southern basket, and Oklahoma State coasted home. Southern finished 15 of 59 from the field, 25.4 percent, and 5 of 23 from 3. It got to the free throw line seven times all night and turned it over 18 times.

Zaria Hurston was the lone Southern player in double figures with 10 points on 4 of 10 shooting. Alisha Nunley added eight points and three steals, while Deniya Thornton scored seven with eight rebounds and Taniya Lawson also had seven. Aubri Wilkins made both of her shots for five points off the bench. Two Southern starters, Anaja Hall and Diamond Hunter, combined to go 0 of 17.

Crooks makes it look easy

Crooks arrived as the headliner of a transfer class that remade the roster in the spring. The former Iowa State star averaged 25.8 points last season, second in the country, and was an AP second-team All-American. In her Oklahoma State debut she played 25 minutes, missed one shot, went 4 of 5 at the line and grabbed seven rebounds, four of them on the offensive end.

The numbers around her were just as notable. According to the school's postgame notes, her nine field goals pushed her career total to 916, passing Andrea Riley for ninth on the Big 12's career list. The notes also said her streak of 99 straight double-figure games is the second-longest active streak in Division I, and that she became the fourth Big 12 player this century to post at least 20 points, seven rebounds and 90 percent shooting in a season opener.

The streak reached 100 four nights later, when Crooks scored 14 points with 11 rebounds against Morgan State. Our recap of that 92-38 win has the details.

Ten debuts, one veteran

Ten Cowgirls made their Oklahoma State debuts, per the school, and the box score showed how much the rotation has changed. Ndiaye went 4 of 9 from the field, 3 of 6 from 3 and 5 of 6 at the line. Deng, who played at Auburn and Baylor before coming to Stillwater, scored only four points on 2 of 9 shooting but grabbed 12 rebounds, 10 on the defensive end, and handed out three assists.

McGill, the transfer from Florida who averaged 22.5 points last season, did not need to score. She went 2 of 8 from the field for seven points but added 10 rebounds and five assists. The school said it was her 54th straight game with at least two assists.

The bench supplied 20 points. Callin Hake hit three 3s for nine points with four assists and three steals, LA Sneed made 2 of 3 from deep for six points, and Talexa Weeter, the reigning Division II player of the year after averaging 27.5 points at Fort Hays State, chipped in five points and five rebounds in 15 minutes. Ellie Brueggemann played 13 minutes in her debut.

Heard is the one constant. The forward made her 66th straight start, went 5 of 8 for 12 points with seven rebounds and three assists, and moved to 12th on Oklahoma State's career rebounding list with 656, per the notes.

The numbers that tell it

Oklahoma State won every hustle category. The Cowgirls outscored Southern 34-10 in the paint, 18-4 on second chances, 19-9 off turnovers and 12-5 in transition. They shot about 45 percent from the field and 15 of 20 at the line, and they assisted on 19 of their 29 made baskets.

The 54 rebounds tied the program's single-game high from last season, set against New Orleans on Nov. 3, 2025. The 39 points were the fewest Oklahoma State has allowed in a season opener since it held Incarnate Word to 35 in 2017, and they tied the fewest a Division I opponent has scored in Jacie Hoyt's tenure, according to the school.

There was one sloppy number. Oklahoma State committed 15 turnovers, which is understandable for a team with this many new pieces but is the clearest thing to clean up. The Cowgirls made only 8 of 29 from 3 as well, with Hake going 3 of 10.

What it means for Oklahoma State

Openers against SWAC opponents do not settle much, and Southern was never going to tell anyone where this team lands in March. What the night did show was the shape of the thing. Oklahoma State has a post scorer who missed one shot all night, a lead guard who is comfortable setting others up, shooters on the wing and enough size to dominate the glass. The defense, which held a Division I team under 40, looked ready from the start.

Home cooking helps too. The win made Oklahoma State 34-2 at Gallagher-Iba Arena over the past three seasons, with nine straight wins there, and it was the program's fifth straight win in a home opener. The Cowgirls won 24 games and made the NCAA Tournament last season.

The early returns have only gotten better. Oklahoma State beat Morgan State 92-38 on Nov. 6, held its first two opponents under 40 for the first time since the program's inaugural season, then beat Northwestern State 94-56 on Nov. 9 and rose to No. 19 in the second AP poll. Next up is a trip to Tulsa on Thursday, Nov. 12, followed by a game at South Dakota State on Sunday, Nov. 15.

Elsewhere in the Top 25, catch up on Michigan's upset of UConn and Michigan's rout of Wright State. For more on the Cowgirls, visit our Oklahoma State team page.

Sources: ESPN box score, Oklahoma State Athletics box score, recap and postgame notes, Sports Illustrated (Oklahoma State On SI), Just Women's Sports.

Photo: Oklahoma State Athletics.