Winchester, Sarr filling key roles amid injuries

Oklahoma State's Abbie Winchester (25) has played 65 minutes in the last two games as the Cowgirls battle injuries. [BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN]

STILL WATER—Ten days ago, the roles of Abbie Winchester and Bigue Sarr with the Oklahoma State women's basketball team were pretty clear.

The juniors had the same job: come off the bench, play tough defense, grab some rebounds and, on occasion, score a few points.

Coach Jim Lit tell needed 10-15 good minutes per game from Winchester, the Heritage Hall product, and Sarr, who is from Dakar, Senegal.

Then, within a 24- hour period, OSU's starting frontcourt of 6- foot -4 Natasha Mack and 6-foot-3 Kassidy De Lapp suffered injuries.

Winchester and S arr instantly went from downthe-bench helpers to starters.

As the Cowgirls prepare to host TCU at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Gallagher-Iba Arena, both will be in key roles, even if they don't start.

Both players are averaging more than 32 minutes per game in the last two outings.

Sarr had 12 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's loss to Texas, playing 29 minutes. Winchester added six points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“Two weeks ago, (Sarr) was fourth on our depth chart,” Littell said of the center position. “She's a good teammate, she's worked hard, she's kept her head in the game and she's continued to get better. She's done everything she can to help the team.”

Winchester hasn' t been asked often to do what OSU has needed from her in the last two games. Only one other time this season has she played more than 20 minutes, but she has played 65 minutes in the last two games, which fits her reputation as a grinder.

“Abbie plays hard in practice every day,” junior guard Vivian Gray said. “She's prepared, and when our players went down, she was ready, because she practices as hard as anybody.”

TCU at Oklahoma State

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater

TV: Big 12 Now/ESPN+

Radio: KGFY-FM 105.5

Three things to know

• Oklahoma State is looking to snap a three-game home losing streak. The Cowgirls' last win at Gallagher-Iba Arena was a 67-49 victory over Kansas on Jan. 4 in the Big 12 opener.

• In her second season in Stillwater, junior Vivian Gray is 23 points away from 1,000 for her OSU career. Gray could reach the mark faster than any Cowgirl, having played in 49 games before Wednesday. Kathy Schulz holds the record, reaching the mark in 52 games. • The Cowgirls remain thin in the frontcourt, with regular starters Natasha Mack (ankle) and Kassidy De Lapp (hand) having missed the last two games. Their status for Wednesday remains unknown.