Miles Sitachitta - Sports Illustrated: Mountaineer Maven
Oklahoma Gets Season Sweep of West Virginia
The West Virginia women’s basketball team ran into a similar Oklahoma team which they fell to only a few weeks ago while getting toppled on Wednesday night, 68-58.
The first quarter saw a nearly two-minute scoring drought only a few minutes into the game before Kari Niblack hit a layup to knot the score at 2-2.
Madi Williams then dribbled in for a pair of layups to extend the lead to seven points for the first extended margin of the night.
Niblack fought hard to bring the deficit closer with a jumper with two minutes remaining in the first before Ana Llanusa sank a layup for the 17-11 Oklahoma lead heading into the second quarter.
A few minutes into the second, Gabby Gregory helped extend the Sooner lead to double digits after knocking down a jumper for the 25-14 advantage.
The first half was all Niblack for the Mountaineers as she totaled another four points toward the end of the second for 10 combined points in the half. Madisen Smith then hit a jumper to bring the deficit down to eight points heading into the locker room, 31-23.
Tynice Martin nailed a three to begin the second half to cut the lead to five points, 32-26. After a Taylor Robertson three for the Sooners, Martin went right back to her three-point stroke to bring the game back within three, 34-31.
Another Robertson three and a pair of Madi Williams free throws extended the Sooner lead to double digits again halfway through the third. Ana Llanusa and Gabby Gregory then nailed a pair of jumpers for Oklahoma before Martin hit a jumper to end the quarter.
Kysre Gondrezick helped the Mountaineers pull within single digits a few minutes into the fourth quarter with a three before Smith and Esmery Martinez each dribbled in for layups to keep the margin in single digits.
Oklahoma was able to keep pace with West Virginia as the Sooners finished off the night with a ten-point lead behind a slew of free throws off the fingers of Taylor Robertson and Gabby Gregory as well as a jumper from Mandy Simpson.
Niblack led the Mountaineers on the night in scoring with 16 points while Gondrezick and Martin also reached double digits with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
West Virginia will continue their road trip through Oklahoma as the Mountaineers will now travel to Oklahoma State on February 8th at 3 p.m. inside the Gallagher-Iba Arena.
