Shanna Rose I WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia’s season ended in heartbreak on Monday night, as the Mountaineers’ rally attempt fell short in a 74-73 loss to Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament Second Round at Hope Coliseum.
The Wildcats’ size proved to be a problem. No. 4-seeded WVU battled back several times, but couldn’t quite get over the line in the final seconds.
Gia Cooke and Sydney Shaw carried the offense, finishing with 23 points apiece. Cooke thrived at the free throw line, knocking down 11 of 12, while Shaw caught fire from beyond the arc with six three-pointers and added four steals. Kierra “Meme” Wheeler was efficient inside with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and Jordan Harrison chipped in 11 points along with four assists and four steals.
The Mountaineers came out sharp, getting early threes from Cooke and Shaw, including a four-point play from Shaw that gave the Mountaineers a 7-3 lead. However, Kentucky responded with a strong 11-2 run and took a 14-9 edge.
WVU stayed within striking distance and used a late second-quarter push, highlighted by Shaw’s shooting and Wheeler’s presence in the paint to tie the game at 36-36 heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Wildcats opened the half on a 13-2 run to build a 49-38 lead. Shaw sank her third 3 of the evening to cut the deficit back to single digits just before the media timeout. Kentucky extended its lead to as many as 14 points before taking a 62-50 lead into the final frame.
That’s when the Mountaineers made their final push.
Shaw hit back-to-back triples, Harrison turned a steal into points in transition, and WVU was right back in the contest. A 10-2 run to start the fourth cut the deficit to four, and the Mountaineers kept chipping away at the Wildcats’ lead.
Down the stretch, Shaw hit again from deep, Harrison came up with a huge steal and calmly sank two free throws, and Cooke followed with a pair at the line to make it 74-73 with under a minute to play.
With eight seconds to play, Cooke narrowly missed her midrange jumper and WVU’s incredible run came to an end.
Teonni Key scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds for fifth-seeded Kentucky (25-10). Clara Strack finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocked shots. Tonie Morgan added 15.
The Mountaineers finished with a 28-7 record while winning a Big 12 Tournament title, 14 conference wins, and a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance with at least one win.
The season ended in a one-point loss but it showed just how resilient WVU was all season
Kentucky advances to the Sweet 16 to face Texas on Saturday.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
