West Virginia Mountaineers Triumph in Big 12 Tournament
In a fierce battle at the Big 12 Tournament, the No. 15-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers triumphed over the No. 10-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils with a score of 67-54 on Friday. The standout performance came from Sydney Shaw, who drained five shots from beyond the arc, leading the Mountaineers with 19 points. Gia Cooke also contributed significantly, scoring 16 points in the match.
Advancing to the Semifinals
This victory places second-seeded West Virginia (with a record of 25 wins and 6 losses) into the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the matchup between third-seeded Baylor and sixth-seeded Colorado on Saturday.
Key Performers
Under the leadership of Coach Mark Kellogg, the Mountaineers have consistently been a force, notching at least 25 victories in each of his three seasons. Shaw’s performance not only set her individual record but also tied with the best for 3-pointers in a single game during the Big 12 Tournament.
Jordan Harrison also played a crucial role for West Virginia, adding 10 points, five assists, and three steals. The Sun Devils’ Heloisa Carrera and Marley Washenitz kept their team’s hopes alive with 10 and 14 points, respectively. Notably, Gabby Elliott had to leave the game earlier due to a knee injury but showed resilience by coming back to contribute nine points — all scored in the first half.
Fourth Quarter Struggles
As the final quarter began, Arizona State made an effort to get back into the game, starting with an 8-0 run led by Washenitz, narrowing the score to 52-50. However, Shaw quickly rebounded their surge with another 3-pointer, which was followed by a sequence of points from Cooke and her own, pushing the lead to 13 with just under three minutes remaining.
Arizona State struggled in the fourth quarter, going scoreless for over six minutes, only managing to score through Carrera’s free throws late in the game. With this result, West Virginia now looks forward to the semifinals while Arizona State awaits the hopeful news of an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament.
