In her final game at the WVU Coliseum, WVU’s Madisen Smith helped lead the Mountaineers to a big victory over the Oklahoma State Cowgirls. Smith scored a game-high 22 points while shooting 8-for-14 from the field, while her sophomore teammate JJ Quinerly added 15 points of her own.
“I think they’re the two best guards in the league,” Oklahoma State head coach Jacie Hoyt said after the game.”
Hoyt saw the talent of the two quick guards in the first matchup between the two teams in early February when Smith and Quinerly combined for 34 points and four steals. Unfortunately for Hoyt and the Cowgirls, another strong performance from the duo would lead to a Mountaineer victory.
In the first quarter of the home finale, West Virginia got out to a quick 7-0 lead after buckets from Smith and Jayla Hemingway, as well as a three-pointer from forward Kylee Blacksten. Oklahoma State avoided more first quarter trouble, as the Cowgirls quickly re-grouped and went on an 11-2 run to snatch the momentum back.
The teams battled back and forth throughout the opening period, but a strong end of the quarter helped WVU take the lead into the second quarter. Trailing 18-17, WVU scored the next five points to close the first quarter, and a nifty shot off the glass by Smith with three seconds left helped West Virginia take a 22-18 lead into the second quarter.
In the second, Oklahoma State showed why they commanded a 20-8 record, as the Cowgirls outscored the Mountaineers 20-10 in the period while shooting an impressive 7-for-10 from the field as a team. The Cowgirls had a balanced scoring attack in the second quarter, as Anna Gret Asi, Lexy Keys, and Taylen Collins all netted five points in the frame.
Oklahoma State took the lead away from the Mountaineers after back-to-back three-pointers by Asi and Lior Garzon with just over three minutes to play in the half. At the break, Oklahoma State led West Virginia 38-32.
Oklahoma State came down to earth a bit in the third quarter, as the Cowgirls shot just 5-for-21 as a team from the field. The Mountaineers took advantage of the poor shooting and took back control of the game with an 11-0 run to start the half, giving them a 43-38 lead with seven minutes to go in the quarter.
Oklahoma State did not lay down after the big WVU run, as Keys, who scored a team-high 13 points, scored the next eight points for the Cowgirls with a pair of three-pointers. Oklahoma State re-took the lead with the heat check from Keys, but Smith gave the Mountaineers a 47-46 lead right after with a jump shot of her own.
Smith knocked down a three-pointer with 1:55 left in the period to extend WVU’s lead to 52-48. Oklahoma State scored the next three points to cut the lead to 52-51, but WVU answered by scoring the quarter’s final four points, including a Danni Nichols basket with three seconds left. With the Nichols basket, WVU maintained a 56-51 lead going into the fourth quarter.
To start the fourth, Oklahoma State cut the deficit to 56-54 with a three-pointer from Garzon. On the ensuing possession, Smith connected on a three-pointer of her own to extend the WVU lead to 59-54.
With just over seven minutes left to play, WVU scored on back-to-back possessions with a Blacksten layup and a Quinerly jumper to boost the lead to 63-56.
Oklahoma State scored on a Collins layup with six minutes to go to cut the WVU lead to 63-58, but neither team would score another field goal until the 1:56 mark, when Collins netted another layup to to make it a 65-60 game.
Oklahoma State never quit, as Terryn Milton scored with 1:08 left to play, cutting the Mountaineer advantage to 65-62. Needing a basket to create late separation, WVU’s Kyah Watson stepped up and made a layup with 25 seconds left to extend the lead to 67-62.
Oklahoma State quickly answered with a made jump shot with 20 seconds to go, but two Watson free throws kept the WVU lead at five points. Oklahoma State kept their nose in the fight with a three-pointer by Asi with 10 seconds to play, but two free throws from Quinerly with five seconds left helped seal a 71-67 win for West Virginia.
The Mountaineers now conclude their home season with a 13-2 record, and will move forward to face Baylor on the road to end the regular season. The Mountaineers and Bears will face off on Saturday, March 4 from the Ferrell Center in Waco, TX. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and the action can be viewed on ESPN+.
