Oklahoma State Loses Fourth Quarter/Game at West Virginia
(Pokes Report publisher Robert Allen contributed to this story written by Ryan Cameron of OSU Athletic Media Relations.)
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Oklahoma State's women's basketball team split the season series with West Virginia after its 71-67 loss on Wednesday evening inside WVU Coliseum. With the loss, OSU dipped to 20-9 overall and 10-7 in league play.
The Mountaineers got out of the gate quickly with a 7-0 run, prompting a Cowgirl timeout just 90 seconds into the contest. OSU answered after the break with a trey from Naomie Alnatas to get on the board.
OSU would use an 8 -0 run capped by a pair of Kassidy De Lapp free throws to move in front for the first time at 11-9. Overall, the two teams exchanged the lead six times in the frame before West Virginia would eventually take a 22-18 lead through the first 10 minutes.
In the second quarter, the Cowgirls scratched back to knot the score at 24 apiece with six minutes left. The Mountaineers reeled off the next four of the contest before OSU hit WVU with an 8-0 run over the next minute, which included treys from Anna Gret Asi and Lior Garzon, to force a Mountaineer timeout.
The Cowgirls made their last five shots and shot 59 percent from the floor in the half to take a 38-32 lead into the halftime break.
WVU scored the first 11 after the break while OSU missed its first seven shots to move back in front, 43-38. The Cowgirls hit just one of their first 12 shots in the frame before Lexy Keys buried a trey from the wing at the five-minute mark to tie the score once again.
Keys would strike again on OSU's next trip down the floor to put OSU back in front, 46-45.The Mountaineers would get a 3-pointer from the top of the key to grab a 52-48 lead with two minutes left in the period before Claire Chastain would answer with a 3-point play on the Cowgirls' next possession. WVU would win the quarter, 24-13, to take a 56-51 advantage into the final 10 minutes.
The Mountaineers extended the margin to seven early in the fourth with OSU only hitting two of its first seven shot attempts in the frame.
Despite holding WVU without a field goal for more than four minutes, OSU still trailed, 64-58, with three minutes to go.
The Cowgirls would get a layup with 1:09 on the clock to get within three, but the Mountaineers would get a layup with 24 seconds left to extend the lead back to five. OSU would score four seconds later before the Mountaineers hit a pair free throws with 14 seconds left. Asi drilled a trey with eight seconds left to pull the Cowgirls within two at 69-67.
Keys led the way for OSU in scoring with 13 points.
The Cowgirls finish off the regular season with a home game on Saturday with Bedlam rival Oklahona at 2 p.m.