NORMAN, Okla. – The No. 24-ranked West Virginia University women’s basketball team held a 16 point lead in the first half, but couldn’t overcome a second half surge by Oklahoma, as the No. 21/20-ranked Sooners won 57-54 at the Lloyd Noble Center on Wednesday evening.
West Virginia (16-5, 5-3 Big 12) held a 32-20 advantage at halftime. In the third quarter, Oklahoma (14-5, 5-3 Big 12) outscored WVU 24-10 to surge ahead with a two-point lead. The Sooners pushed their edge to eight with four-plus minutes remaining in the game.
However, WVU used a six-point run down the stretch. Teana Muldrow used a steal and Bria Holmes connected on a layup to trim the game to 56-53 with 54 seconds left. Morton hit a free throw with 18 seconds remaining to cut the game to two. Oklahoma hit one of two free throws, giving WVU an opportunity to tie the contest in the final seconds. WVU missed an attempted three as Oklahoma secured the victory.
Four Mountaineers reached double-figures. Muldrow scored a team-best 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Holmes followed with 12 points. Tynice Martin and Jessica Morton each contributed with 10 points. Lanay Montgomery grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked five shots.
After shooting 46 percent in the first half, WVU finished shooting 38.2 percent (21-of-55) from the field. The Mountaineers knocked down five three-pointers and outrebounded the Sooners, 41-33. OU finished shooting 37.9 percent (22-of-58) from the field and made 10-of-11 at the free throw line for 90.9 percent. The Sooners forced 31 Mountaineer turnovers, the most for a WVU squad since 2012, and converted those miscues into 25 points. Oklahoma junior Peyton Little led the Sooner attack with 23 points, all of which came in the second half.
“Give Oklahoma credit. They played harder and wanted it more in the second half,” said coach Mike Carey. “We were turning it over on outlets. It wasn’t pressure. It was easy unforced turnovers. We gave that game away. We lost (Peyton) Little in the second half. It’s things that shouldn’t have happened.”
It was all the Mountaineer bench in the opening quarter, as the WVU reserves scored all of WVU’s 18 points. Martin netted six of West Virginia’s first eight points as the Mountaineers led 8-4 midway through the opening quarter. A Muldrow triple at the 1:33 mark pushed the game to 18-10 at the conclusion of the first period.
West Virginia opened the second quarter on a 10-2 run. Muldrow’s three-pointer at the 5:24 mark pushed the Mountaineer advantage to 16. Oklahoma cut the game to 12 after a layup from Vionise Pierre-Louis. WVU was held scoreless in the final three minutes of the half. WVU finished the first half shooting 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from the field and held OU to just 32.0 percent shooting (8-of-25). The Mountaineers won the rebound battle 21-11 and scored 28 of their 32 points from the bench. Muldrow led all scorers with 11 points.
Oklahoma used a 12-0 run at the end of the first half and the opening of the third quarter to cut the lead to single digits. A pair of steals by OU’s Giyoa Carter helped the Sooners trim the lead to seven with a jumper from Carter and a Little three-pointer. Little once again found the trey to cut the game to 38-36 with 5:50 remaining. On the next possession, Holmes hit a trey to push the game back to five. Little tied the game with her layup at the 1:44 mark. A Gabbi Ortiz layup gave OU a 44-42 lead at the end of three.
Oklahoma outscored WVU 24-10 in the third quarter, as Little registered 12 of OU’s points. In the fourth quarter, the Sooners pushed their lead to eight with 4:37 remaining. Muldrow’s steal setup a layup by Holmes to narrow the game to 56-53 with 53.0 seconds remaining. Morton made a free throw to make it a 56-54 contest with 18 seconds remaining. OU made one free throw, giving WVU a chance in the end. The three-point attempt fell shy as the Sooners picked up their fifth win in the all-time series.
No. 24-ranked West Virginia returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 30, when the Mountaineers host No. 4 Baylor in a 4 p.m. tipoff. The game is televised on FOX Sports Net and locally on ROOT SPORTS Pittsburgh. Saturday is Family Day and a Gold Rush. The package includes four tickets, four hot dogs, four sodas and a popcorn for $25. Fans must purchase the package before 5 p.m. on Friday by visiting WVUGAME.com or calling 1-800-WVU GAME.
NOTES: All 18 of West Virginia’s first quarter points came from the bench … only four of West Virginia’s 32 first half points came from starters … the Mountaineers’ 30 turnovers were the most since committing 30 versus Georgetown on Jan. 24, 2012 … West Virginia’s bench scored 30+ points for the eighth consecutive game … the series between OU and WVU is now tied, 5-5.
