West Virginia's Comeback Attempt Not Enough as Kentucky Advances to Sweet 16

The pace of the game favored Kentucky early, which had an 11-0 run in the first quarter. The Wildcats were dominant on the glass, getting second-chance opportunities and outmuscling the Mountaineers down low. It was a 20-15 advantage for the Wildcats after one quarter of play.

The length of Kentucky continued to bother the Mountaineers in the second quarter, who struggled to hit easy layups because of the size advantage Kentucky had. It could have been a much larger lead for Kentucky if not for their struggles to convert off turnovers. Meme Wheeler and Gia Cooke kept the West Virginia offense in the game, each scoring several buckets in the second quarter. The Mark Kellogg signature press defense started to bother the Wildcats midway through the second quarter, as a 10-second violation and a double-dribble call both led to buckets for the Mountaineers.

When the Mountaineers' defense is turning the opponent over, it comes in bunches. The Mountaineers tied the game up at 30 with just over three minutes to play in the half off of a Sydney Shaw steal that she took all the way to the basket for an easy layup. It was a physical back-and-forth last two minutes of the half with five fouls called, as the half ended at a dead-even score of 36-36.

It was all Kentucky in the third quarter as they started the second half on fire with a 9-0 run. The Wildcats length and offensive rebounding once again plagued West Virginia, much like it did in the first quarter of the game. Kenny Brooks' team led by as many as 14 points at one point in the quarter. WVU struggled mightily to hit easy layups, going just 3-10 on those shots in the third quarter, while Kentucky hit several key three-pointers. The Mountaineers seemed to be hanging on for dear life in a 12-point hole after three quarters of play.

A 12-2 run to begin the final quarter of play pulled West Virginia within four. Sydney Shaw hit a pair of threes to bring the Mountaineers back within striking distance. WVU pulled within a point after a huge steal by Jordan Harrison drew a foul with just over a minute to play.

After a missed three-pointer by the Wildcats, WVU found themselves down one with just 8.3 seconds left on the clock to take a shot to win the game. The inbound went to Gia Cooke, who had delivered all day long for WVU. After a crossover gave Cooke plenty of room, she had an open look at the elbow that rattled off the side of the rim and off.

After a miraculous fourth quarter comeback attempt by WVU, the size of the Wildcats proved to be too much for the Mountaineers as they fell by a heartbreaking score of 74-73. Kentucky advances to its first Sweet 16 since the 2016 season, off a dominant 18 points and 15 rebounds stat line from Clara Strack. The Mountaineers' historic season comes to an end, but the future remains bright for the program after hosting NCAA Tournament games for the first time since 1992, and winning the Big 12 Tournament Championship.