KANSAS CITY, Mo. – No. 2 seed WVU (25-6, 15-5 Big 12) beat Arizona State 67-54 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament. WVU forced 19 turnovers and scored 35 points off them. The live-ball turnovers and transition offense helped them cruise past the Sun Devils. Read more: The Mountaineers’ defense helps them advance to the semifinals.
The bench contributed solid minutes tonight and helped the team sustain their energy into the second half. Three players played 10 or more minutes off the bench in the first half, and two players finished with 20 or more minutes in the game.
“When everybody’s playing well, you don’t have to worry about a sub or anything like that,” Sydney Shaw said about the bench’s contribution. “You can get a break, and there’s no letdown or drop off in the energy. And we’re able to cheer for them the same way they cheer for us. So when I think everybody’s playing well, it gives people time to get a breather, and it keeps us steady in the game.”
Célia Rivière led the way off the bench with six points and two rebounds. Sydney Woodley filled the stat sheet with two points, seven rebounds, and two assists. Riley Makalusky had five points, two rebounds, and two assists. It was a full-team effort against Arizona State, and the bench helped sustain energy on the defensive end.
First quarter
Marley Washenitz, a Fairmont, WV native, scored the first basket of the game, a three-pointer from the right wing. Jordan Harrison went coast-to-coast to score for WVU following a steal from Kierra Wheeler. Gia Cooke earned a trip to the free-throw line, but only made one. McKinna Brackens scored on the other end after grabbing the rebound, and Wheeler responded by splitting defenders on the block for a layup.
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Cooke got a steal at half-court and was fouled on a layup attempt. She made both free throws to give WVU a 7-5 lead. Jordan Harrison got another steal as the Sun Devils struggled to break the press of WVU. Harrison made a driving layup to extend the lead. Last-Tear Poa grabbed an offensive rebound, and Brackens scored with a jump shot in the paint. Gabby Elliott made two free throws to tie the game for WVU.
Heloisa Carrera gave the Sun Devils a lead with an assist from Amaya Williams. Célia Rivière made an immediate impact off the bench, tying the game with a pass from Wheeler. Elliott hit a three-pointer at the end of the shot clock. Washenitz made a three-pointer following a WVU turnover, but WVU continued to get contributions from the bench. Sydney Woodley entered the game and made a layup off an assist from Harrison.
Gia Cooke made a three-pointer off a Harrison steal to make the score 17-16 in favor of Arizona State. Rivière gave the Mountaineers a lead with 32 seconds remaining in the quarter. It also extended the Mountaineer run to seven. Arizona State went scoreless in the final two and a half minutes, as WVU led 18-17 at the end of the quarter.
Second quarter
Sydney Shaw started the second quarter, scoring her first points of the game. She hit a three-pointer from the wing, and WVU immediately forced a turnover. Riley Makalusky picked up an offensive rebound off a Woodley miss and made the put-back. Williams scored for Arizona State, which cut WVU’s lead to four points. Jyah LoVett made a jumper at the end of the shot clock following a WVU turnover.
Shaw responded with a three-pointer, as she kept her hot streak going from behind the arc. Makalusky made a three-pointer, and Shaw followed it with a fast break layup off a steal. Shaw got the steal, while Harrison got the assist. Woodley assisted another Shaw three-pointer, her third of the quarter, following a steal from Harrison. That extended an 11-0 run by WVU and gave them a 34-21 lead.
Elliott broke a three-minute scoring drought for the Sun Devils with a fast-break layup. Elliott made a jumper to cut the WVU lead to eight points, but Gia Cooke responded with a three-pointer. Poa made two free throws for Arizona State, which brought the score to 37-28 with about two minutes remaining. Carter McCray scored her first points of the game off an assist from Wheeler, and WVU set up its press. They forced a 10-second violation, which gave them possession with a minute remaining, but did not convert on offense despite two offensive rebounds. Arizona State scored the final basket and trailed 39-30 going into the locker room.
At the break
Sydney Shaw led the Mountaineers with 11 points, making three of five three-pointers in the first half. Gia Cooke had nine points, while Riley Makalusky had five points off the bench. Jordan Harrison and Célia Rivière had four points apiece. Sydney Woodly had two points, with four rebounds and two assists.
Gabby Elliott led Arizona State with nine points in the first half. Marley Washenitz chipped in six points with two three-pointers. Jyah LoVett had five points off the bench. Arizona State had 14 turnovers in the first half, but outrebounded WVU 17-11.
Third quarter
Marley Washenitz opened the second half just like she opened the first half. The Fairmont native and Pitt transfer made a three-pointer for the Sun Devils. Harrison scored the first points for WVU with a nice ball fake and layup. Harrison made the next basket after neither team had scored for over two minutes. Arizona State had a three-minute scoring drought leading into the media timeout with about four and a half minutes remaining in the quarter.
Arizona State scored six consecutive points out of the break. Brackens made two free throws, and LoVett made a fast-break layup to make the score 43-38. Brackens made another jumpshot to put the Sun Devils within three points. Harrison got to the charity stripe and made both to give WVU a five-point lead.
Wheeler made an and-one layup following an offensive rebound and converted the free throw. Cooke got fouled after a Wheeler steal and made both at the line. Washenitz made two free throws in the final minute, and Rivière made a layup as the final basket of the quarter. WVU took a 52-42 lead into the final quarter.
Fourth quarter
Arizona State scored eight consecutive points to start the final period, which forced a timeout from West Virginia. Sydney Shaw ended the run out of the break with a three-pointer at the end of the shot clock. Both teams went scoreless for over three minutes until Gia Cooke grabbed a big offensive rebound. She made the put-back to give WVU a seven-point lead. Wheeler got a steal five seconds later, which led to a Cooke three-pointer.
Sydney Shaw made a three-pointer, which broke open the game with two and a half minutes remaining. WVU led 63-50. Arizona State made two free throws, but Shaw responded with a layup. Wheeler made a layup, and the game ended with a final score of 67-54.
Top performers
- S. Shaw (WVU): 19 points/4 rebounds/1 assist/2 steals
- G. Cooke (WVU): 16 points/2 rebounds/1 assist/1 steal
- M. Washenitz (ASU): 14 points/3 rebounds/1 assist/1 steal
What’s next?
WVU advances to the semifinals of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament. They play at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, March 7, against the winner of Colorado and Baylor.
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