MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Mountaineers fell short to Kentucky, 74-73, at Hope Coliseum. WVU accomplished many goals this season, but could not win to advance to the Sweet 16. They won the Big 12 Championship and hosted NCAA Tournament games. They took a major step as a program this season, but it came to a disappointing end in front of a sold-out crowd at Hope Coliseum. Read more: West Virginia’s season ends in a heartbreaker against Kentucky.
Gia Cooke and Sydney Shaw played an outstanding game. The each scored 23 points and were vital factors in WVU even having a chance to win the game. Cooke took the final shot for WVU, and it was a great look. Unfortunately, the basketball touched the rim twice, but did not fall.
“Honestly, we practiced it all year, and I don’t think we’d ever run it one time,” Kellogg said of the play that could have won them the game. “So it was something that we practiced throughout the entire season for these moments. I haven’t really seen it, but I know it hit a bunch and kind of hung on that front rim and then came off, and that’s basketball.”
It is tough to question the shot, as it was wide open. Cooke created a lot of space with a crossover as her defender fell to the ground. The shot did not fall, as Coach Kellogg explained.
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First quarter
Gia Cooke opened the game with a three-pointer after an offensive rebound by Kierra Wheeler. Kentucky immediately matched it with a three-pointer of its own by Amelia Hassett. Sydney Shaw got the crowd into the game with an and-one three-pointer to give WVU a 7-3 lead. Teonni Key answered right back with a layup off an assist from Clara Strack. Key tied the game at seven with a contested layup just under the seven-minute mark.
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Hassett started the game hot, making another three-pointer, followed by a layup by Jordan Obi to give the Wildcats a 12-7 lead. Hassett finally missed a three-pointer, but Strack was right there with the offensive board and putback. Wheeler made a layup to end the three-minute scoring drought by WVU. It also ended the Wildcats’ 11-0 run.
Jordan Harrison got on the board with a driving layup after the first media timeout. Both teams went cold for the next two minutes, and Wheeler broke the drought. Key answered on the other end with a layup of her own. Cooke brought the Mountaineers within one point with two free throws. Strack found Key for a second-chance layup with 50 seconds remaining. The quarter ended with a Strack turnaround jump shot after she grabbed an offensive rebound. Kentucky led 20-15 heading into the second quarter.
Second quarter
Kentucky opened the second quarter with a jump shot by Key, and Harrison answered with a driving layup. The Wildcats did a lot of work at the charity stripe in the following minutes. Riley Makalusky fouled Hassett on a three-point attempt. She made all three free throws. Key got the line next and made one of two. Tonie Morgan was the next Wildcat at the line next, and she made a pair to give them a 28-17 lead.
Wheeler broke a two-minute scoring drought with a layup inside, which was followed by a 10-second violation. Cooke made the most of the deadball turnover and finished a contested layup at the rim. Strack answered with a layup for Kentucky to extend its lead to nine points. Wheeler made a jumpshot off an assist from Shaw right before the media timeout to make it 30-23 in favor of Kentucky.
The Mountaineers came out firing after the break. Wheeler made a layup assisted by Célia Rivière off a Kentucky turnover. Shaw made a three-pointer, pulling WVU within two points. Shaw jumped a pass and went the other way for an easy layup to tie the game at 30. It did not last long, as Jordan made a jumpshot on the other end. Cooke tied the game again with a layup, which was the seventh consecutive field goal made by WVU.
Strack gave the Wildcats a 34-32 lead as the teams went back and forth. Cooke tied the game from the free-throw line, but Strack scored following a WVU turnover. Cooke scored the final points of the quarter from the free-throw line and tied the game at 36.
At the break
Cooke leads the Mountaineers with 13 points and is doing a lot of her work at the free-throw line. She has made all six of her free throws and is 3-8 from the field. Wheeler has 10 points and four rebounds, making 5-6 field goals. Shaw has nine points, with two three-pointers on four attempts. She also has two steals and two assists. Harrison has four points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. WVU is shooting 43.3% from the field and 33.3% from behind the arc.
Key leads Kentucky with 11 points and six rebounds. She is 5-7 from the field, but has three turnovers. Strack has 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Hassett has nine points, with six of them coming from two early three-pointers. The Wildcats have seven turnovers, but zero steals with three blocks.
Third quarter
Asia Boone was the only starter for Kentucky to not score in the first half, which she remedied quickly in the second with an early three-pointer. Morgan followed it with two free throws off a steal by Strack, the first steal for Kentucky in the game. Kentucky scored via a layup by Key following an offensive foul by Wheeler. That forced a quick timeout by Head Coach Mark Kellogg after the 7-0 run to open the half.
Strack extended the Kentucky run to nine points with a turnaround shot in the paint. Cooke broke the run on the following possession with a tough layup inside. Key continued her hot night with a layup to give her 15 points midway through the third quarter. Strack got to 14 points with two free throws and extended the Kentucky lead to 11 points.
Shaw made a big three-pointer after Harrison grabbed her own miss and found an open shooter at the top of the key. Boone made a three-pointer after the media timeout to get the lead back to 11 points. Wheeler responded with a layup and was fouled on the make. She missed the free throw, however, so the Kentucky lead stayed at nine points.
Boone stayed hot from deep and made another three-pointer. Harrison matched it on the other end after a Kentucky defender went under a screen. Key made a second-chance layup to bring the Wildcats’ lead to 12 points, but Wheeler answered with a reverse layup. Kentucky scored four consecutive points to grow its lead to 62-48. Cooke made two at the line with 36 seconds remaining. Those were the final points of the quarter, and WVU trailed 62-50.
Fourth quarter
Wheeler started the fourth quarter with a bucket inside to cut the deficit to 10 points. Shaw nailed a three-pointer off a Harrison assist following a Strack travel. Key scored another basket underneath to quiet the crowd, but it did not last long. Shaw made another three-pointer to cut the lead to six points. Harrison went coast-to-coast after a block by Rivière to make it 64-60.
Morgan ended the 5-0 run with a floater off the glass. Key found Strack on the block for the next basket, which prompted a timeout from Coach Kellogg with five minutes remaining in the game. Cooke ended the two and a half minute scoring drought with a three-pointer coming out of the break. Morgan got the lead back to seven points with two free throws on the other end.
Final 90 seconds
Cooke missed her first free throw of the night, but made one to cut the lead to six points. Shaw cut it to four points with a jumpshot after an offensive foul by Key. Strack made a second-chance bucket after grabbing an offensive rebound, and Shaw responded with a three-pointer. Kentucky led 72-69 with 90 seconds remaining, as Kentucky called a timeout.
Harrison ripped the ball away from Strack after the timeout and earned a trip to the line. She made both to cut the lead to one as the crowd got to their feet. Morgan quieted the crowd with a pull-up jumpshot at the free throw line to make it 74-71. Cooke earned a trip to the line with 33 seconds left and made both as she dealt with some discomfort in her calves.
West Virginia chose not to foul with 33 seconds remaining, and they forced a long three-pointer from Hassett. The Mountaineers grabbed the rebound and called a timeout with 8.3 seconds left on the clock. They inbounded the ball to Cooke, and she crossed up a Kentucky defender at the elbow to get a wide-open look. It hit the front of the rim, bounced off the backboard, and caught the front iron again before falling out.
The referees put 0.8 seconds back on the clock after Kentucky grabbed the rebound and called a timeout. Harrison knocked the ball out of bounds on the pass, and it went off a Kentucky player. WVU regained possession with 0.2 seconds remaining. WVU ran a play for Carter McCray to tip it in, but she caught it, and time expired. Kentucky won 74-73 and advanced to the Sweet 16.
Top performers
- G. Cooke (WVU): 23 points/1 assist/1 rebound
- S. Shaw (WVU): 23 points/2 rebounds/2 assists/4 steals
- T. Key (KEN): 19 points/10 rebounds/2 assists
- C. Strack (KEN): 18 points/15 rebounds/4 assists/4 blocks/1 steal
What’s next?
The Mountaineers’ season ended with the loss to Kentucky. They have several seniors, so the team should look a lot different next season. Stay tuned to WV Sports Nation for coverage of all WVU Athletics and updates on Women’s Basketball.
It just hung on the rim. Heartbreaker!