Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
LAWRENCE, Kan.— West Virginia’s women’s basketball team leaned on its perimeter shooting to wear down Kansas, pulling away late for a 79-72 win Thursday afternoon at Allen Fieldhouse.
The Mountaineers improved to 12-2 overall and 2-0 in Big 12 play, earning their first road victory of the season behind a season-best showing from beyond the arc. WVU knocked down 13 3-pointers and shot 48.1 percent from long range.
Gia Cooke led the way with 24 points, connecting on six 3-pointers while shooting 8-for-18 from the field. Sydney Shaw finished with 18 points and reached a career milestone in the process, surpassing 1,000 points on a 3-pointer with 2:54 remaining in the third quarter. Carter McCray added a season-high 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
The Jayhawks controlled the early momentum as freshman forward Jaliya Davis made an immediate impact in her return from injury. Davis scored nine of her 21 points in the opening quarter, helping Kansas build a 19-14 lead after one.
The Mountaineers stayed within striking distance in the second quarter despite foul trouble for guards Jordan Harrison and Kierra “Meme” Wheeler. WVU briefly grabbed the lead following consecutive baskets by McCray, but the Jayhawks carried a narrow 36-35 advantage into halftime after Lilly Meister’s jumper in the final second.
The game shifted in the third quarter as the Mountaineers found its rhythm offensively. A late 7-0 run pushed WVU ahead 57-51 entering the fourth, giving them control for the first time.
The Mountaineers opened the final quarter with an 8-3 surge and stretched the margin to double figures. Shaw’s 3-pointer midway through the period capped a stretch that saw WVU lead by as many as 17 at 73-56.
Kansas mounted a late push after the Mountaineers went cold from the field over the final five minutes, trimming the deficit to seven, but the Jayhawks could not overcome 22 turnovers. WVU turned those mistakes into 28 points.
S’Mya Nichols scored 16 points and dished out five assists for Kansas.
“We hit a lot of shots. We’ve been working on it and getting a lot of shots up,” Cooke said. “They tell me to keep shooting, and to just let that thing go, even if I’m missing. We shared the ball well today.”
The Mountaineers remain on the road Sunday, traveling to Kansas State for a 2 p.m. ET tipoff in Manhattan. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Photo credit: WVU Athletics
