WVU Women Lose at Oklahoma State to Open Big 12 Road Slate

The West Virginia University women’s basketball team trailed at halftime and outscored Oklahoma State in the final two quarters Friday, but the rally came up short in a 78-73 loss in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

For the Mountaineers (5-2, 0-2 Big 12), sophomore forward Esmary Martinez recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. WVU junior forward Kari Niblack finished with a season-high 16 points while senior guard Kysre Gonrezick scored 15.

Oklahoma State’s Natasha Mack led all scorers Friday with 19 points, while teammate Lexy Keys chipped in with 16 points. The win keeps OSU (5-2, 2-0 Big 12) unbeaten in conference play.

The Mountaineers trailed 35-28 after two quarters in Stillwater on Friday and were outscored 23-21 in the third quarter, but cut into the lead in the final quarter with a 24-20 advantage. It just was not quite enough to make up the difference.

“We weren’t moving the ball in the first half,” WVU coach Mike Carey said. “That’s why we had so many turnovers. I think we had like 13, 15 turnovers at halftime — something like that. We just weren’t moving the the ball or we would have shot better.”

West Virginia made 30 of its 60 field goal attempts Friday, with a 6 of 14 showing from 3-point distance, but Oklahoma State was just a little bit better at 29 of 52 from the field and 7 of 11 from 3-point range.

WVU is back in action at the WVU Coliseum on Monday when the Mountaineers host Ohio University from the Mid-American Conference. That game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. with the broadcast streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.