WVU Women’s Basketball Runs Cold in Second Half, Loses 64-57

WVU Women’s Basketball suffered their second conference loss of the season on Saturday, Jan. 11, falling 64-57 to the Oklahoma State Cowgirls after another ugly shooting performance.

The No. 17 Mountaineers (13-3, 3-2 Big 12) made less than 35 percent of their shots from the floor, including a brutal 21.9 percent in the second half, allowing Oklahoma State to come back from a double digit deficit

forced six Cowgirls’ turnovers in the first 5:02 of game time, taking a 17-7 lead early off a three-pointer from Kylee Blacksten. Oklahoma State closed the opening period with a furious rally, however, ripping off a 14-5 run in less than three minutes to close within one point.

Play bogged down in the second quarter, with just seven made field goals between the two teams, including a span of nearly five minutes with just one basket, a Sydney Shaw three. Once again, the Mountaineers pulled ahead towards the tail end of the frame, extending their lead to 38-28 with an 11-0 run… and once again, the Cowgirls reeled them back in before the break, with a half-court buzzer-beater from Anna Gret Asi making it 38-33.

Oklahoma State began the third period on a 6-0 run, prompting a timeout from Mountaineers’ head coach Mark Kellogg as the Cowgirls took the lead. WVU managed to tie things back up with a pair of Jordan Thomas free throws… but the Mountaineers went just 2-of-15 from the floor in the frame, allowing Oklahoma State to pull ahead 50-45.

The Cowgirls took a 58-47 lead, their largest of the game, off a Stailee Heard and-1 with 6:59 to play. A 7-0 run kept West Virginia in the game, but though they closed within a possession, they couldn’t come up with the decisive tying shot.

Up next, WVU Women’s Basketball gets a chance to avenge their Dec. 21 road loss when they host Colorado at at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 15.