Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Gia Cooke hit a heart-stopping 3-pointer in the final minute, giving West Virginia a 48–47 edge over Colorado and sending the Mountaineers to the Big 12 Championship game for the fourth time in program history.
Trailing by two with less than a minute to play, Cooke grabbed an offensive rebound off a double-team on Kierra Wheeler and nailed a top-of-the-key triple to flip the scoreboard to 46–45.
After a timeout and defensive stand, Jordan Harrison drew a foul and sank both free throws to make it 48–45. Colorado stayed alive when Desiree Wooten earned free throws with three seconds left, converting two to trim the margin to one. WVU was fouled before inbounding but failed to convert, leaving the Buffaloes one final chance. Colorado advanced the ball to midcourt, but Harrison—the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year—picked off the ensuing inbounds scramble to seal the win.
Harrison led the Mountaineers (26-6) with 15 points, while Wheeler added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Cooke finished with 14 points, and for Colorado (22-11), Zyanna Walker scored 16 and Wooten had 12 off the bench.
The fourth quarter was a seesaw battle. WVU entered the period with a 34–30 lead, but Colorado quickly closed the gap. Walker opened with a downhill layup at 9:42 to pull the Buffaloes within two, 34–32, before Wheeler answered at the line, nudging the Mountaineers ahead 35–32.
After a Cooke midrange make at 6:44, Colorado strung together a surge. Wooten buried a right-wing three at 6:11, and Walker added a jumper at 5:38 to give the Buffaloes their first lead of the quarter, 38–37. Wheeler responded with a layup at 5:16, but Jade Masogayo’s driving finish at 4:17 flipped it back to 40–39 Colorado.
From there, the lead changed hands three more times. Wheeler hit a short jumper and Cooke added another midrange basket to push WVU ahead 43–40 with three minutes remaining. Logyn Greer answered for the Buffaloes from the elbow, and Wooten splashed her second three of the quarter to give Colorado its final lead.
It wasn’t the prettiest game—both teams struggled in the second quarter, going scoreless for six minutes—but the Mountaineers found a way when it mattered most.
WVU previously reached the title game in 2014, 2017, and 2021, winning their first and only championship in 2017.
The Mountaineers will face No. 10 TCU in the championship game on Sunday at 5 p.m. (ET) on ESPN.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
