No. 25 WVU Women’s Basketball Crushed at Home By Villanova

MORGANTOWN, W.Va— WVU Women’s Basketball lost their second game in a row on Monday, Dec. 1, dominated 81-59 at home by the Villanova Wildcats.

The No. 25 Mountaineers (6-2) made just 32.8 percent of their shots on the evening and lost the turnover battle 16-14. Even their free throw shooting (18-of-28) suffered, while Villanova managed to exploit the Mountaineers’ usual brick wall of a defense with aggressive long distance passes in transition that prevented West Virginia from getting set.

Gia Cooke (20 points) led the Mountaineers in scoring, going a perfect 10-0f-10 from the free throw line. Kiara Wheeler (10 points) was the only other West Virginia player in double digits.

The Wildcats raced ahead in the first quarter, leading 6-2 barely two minutes in and continuing to push ahead as West Virginia couldn’t buy a basket. The Mountaineers made just six of 20 shots in the opening frame, trailing 28-17 in that span. After an 8-2 Villanova run early in the second period, the Mountaineers had their best chance to strike back: the Wildcats suddenly fell cold, making just one shot from the field in the next 6:40.

While West Virginia cut the deficit from 17 points to nine, the Wildcats woke up at the end of the half… and the Mountaineers’ shooting continued to lag, preventing them from gaining the ground they needed. Villanova pulled ahead 68-51 in the third quarter and dealt a knockout blow early in the fourth, a 7-0 run that put their lead above 20 and forced a last ditch timeout from head coach Mark Kellogg, but the Mountaineers couldn’t pull any closer.

Up next, WVU Women’s Basketball will have a chance to get back on track at home against Mercyhurst at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5.

Postgame Reaction:

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