STORRS, Conn. — The Jackrabbits trailed Oklahoma State 31-24 at halftime of their first round NCAA tournament game, and it felt like they were fortunate to not be down by more than that.
The Jacks had made 9-of-29 shots (31 percent). They'd turned it over 11 times. Cowgirls center Tenin Magassa already had five blocked shots. Nothing was really working.
Madison Mathioewtz had been largely invisible. Though she'd played 15 minutes she hadn't attempted a field goal, and went 0-for-2 on a trip to the line.
But the best half of her life was on tap.
Mathioewtz scored 17 points in the second half — nine in the third quarter and eight more in the fourth — injecting life into a flailing Jackrabbit offense and sparking a sudden spark of confidence that carried SDSU to a 74-68 win.
Brooklyn and Paige Meyer were outstanding as usual and Haliegh Timmer and Mesa Byom did their part, but there was little doubt that Mathiowetz was the key to the win. Without her, it's possible that the SDSU engine never turns over.
"Madi's play was so important for us, for sure," said coach Aaron Johnston. "Her getting going offensively just took pressure off of a few of our other players, I thought. Maybe that sense that, 'Hey, it's not going well. We've been down. I've got to press. I've got to do more.' Just that other breath of offense was huge for us. (Mathiowetz) opened the doors to so many good plays. Madi coming out and playing really well and being more assertive helped out a bunch."
It was vintage Jacks. From Jill Young to Macy Miller to Myah Selland to Meyer & Meyer, the Jacks always have go-to players they lean on, but SDSU always has options. There is always a secondary character ready to step up and take the reins.
"I think in the first half a lot of our teammates were making really big plays, and Paige, Timmer, Brooklyn, everybody was making shots," Mathiowetz said. "In the first half it wasn't my time, but in the second half opportunities came and I just took advantage of them. Coach and our whole staff just is always supportive of us throughout games trying to tell us to play our game."
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Indeed, once Mathiowetz put some hay in the barn, the Meyer twins went to work. Brooklyn figured out a way around Magassa's massive reach. Paige hit a couple of her signature midrange jumpers and created a crucial bucket with a no-look pass to Kallie Theisen. The Jacks looked timid in the first half, but once Mathiowetz unlocked the offense they not only started scoring but playing with the confident swagger befitting a team that has now won 20 games in a row and 30 this year.
"I thought in the first half, we talked at halftime, maybe we weren't being as aggressive and confident as we know we can be," said Mathiowetz, who has now scored 37 points in her last two games after going for 20 in the Summit League championship. "In that second half I think things started to open up a little bit that allowed us to be more aggressive, and we just stayed confident and did what we know how to do best. That allowed us to get to the hoop and score in ways we knew we needed to."
And the Cowgirls were cooked.
"I think through that whole game it was a battle, and they could make shots at any time," Mathiowetz said. "So I don't know that I ever felt we really had it, but I do think that our confidence was on the rise and we were playing our basketball. We knew we could win it at that point."
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