The West Virginia women’s basketball team lost to Kentucky 74-73 in the NCAA Second Round on March 23 at Hope Coliseum.
The close game ended West Virginia’s season, despite strong performances from several players. Gia Cooke and Sydney Shaw led the Mountaineers with 23 points each. Cooke made five field goals and was successful on eleven of twelve free throws, while Shaw hit six three-pointers and recorded four steals. Kierra Wheeler contributed sixteen points, making eight of eleven shots, and Jordan Harrison added eleven points along with four assists and four steals.
West Virginia shot just over forty-one percent from the floor, made nine out of nineteen three-point attempts, and converted fourteen of sixteen free throws. However, they were outrebounded by Kentucky thirty-nine to twenty-three.
During the game, West Virginia started strong with early three-pointers but trailed after a surge from Kentucky. The teams were tied at halftime after trading baskets late in the second quarter. In the third quarter, Kentucky pulled ahead by as many as fourteen points before West Virginia narrowed the gap in the final period through key plays by Shaw and Harrison.
In the closing moments, Cooke had an opportunity to win but missed a midrange jumper as time expired. The defeat marked the end of a season where West Virginia achieved a 28-7 record—the third-most wins in program history—and won its second Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship. The team also reached double-digit conference wins for a third straight year.
This was West Virginia’s fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament—its second-longest streak ever—and it has now won at least one tournament game for three years running.
