OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (March 4, 2018) – The West Virginia University women’s basketball team couldn’t overcome an early deficit in the semifinals of the 2018 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Saturday, as the Mountaineers fell 68-55 to second-seeded and No. 7-ranked Texas.
WVU (21-11), the No. 6 seed in the tournament, finished with four players in double figures but shot just 32.4 percent as a team in the loss.
“I thought we come out with energy,” WVU coach Mike Carey said. “Give Texas credit. They kept driving us. We took way too many threes. I kept saying we're settling for threes. I mean, you can't go 2 for 23 and expect to win the game. Long rebounds, layups on the other side because we kept missing. Give Texas credit, though, they gave us the three but didn't give us the drive.”
Senior forward Kristina King was involved from the opening tipoff, scoring eight of WVU’s 12 first-quarter points. First, senior guard Chania Ray found her on a fast break for the game’s first points, before King was able to finish a feed from senior forward Teana Muldrow.
Both teams got off to a chilly start from the field, as each made just two of their first eight shots of the night. Texas (26-5) was able to convert a 12-2 run to close the opening frame, including two late 3-pointers to give the Longhorns a 24-12 lead after 10 minutes.
Junior guard/forward Naomi Davenport registered the first two baskets for WVU in the second quarter before Ray found a cutting Muldrow to make it 36-22 Texas with 4:50 to go until halftime.
Later, Ray powered her way through the lane for a tough layup with 1:13 to go in the half. The Alexandria, Virginia, native finished with six points and five assists in the first half. Still, Texas led, 42-28, at the break.
Ray kept us her scoring pace at the start of the second half, scoring a pair of baskets in the opening three minutes of the third quarter. Then, WVU endured a spirt of nearly four minutes without a field goal before Davenport scored on an off-balanced shot close to the hoop to make it 52-35.
Davenport also made the Mountaineers’ first 3-pointer of the contest with 18 seconds to play in the frame. After the team combined to miss its first 15 shots from beyond the arc, Davenport’s triple cut Texas’ lead to 58-39.
Texas outscored West Virginia, 16-11, in the third quarter, however, and took a 58-40 advantage into the final frame.
Pardee tallied seven of her 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer with 2:29 to play. The Mountaineers went on to outscore the Longhorns, 15-10, in the period but could only get as close as 13 of the Texas lead.
Along with Pardee, Davenport finished with a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds for WVU. King added 12 points and six rebounds for the Mountaineers, while Ray chipped in with 10 points, along with eight assists and six rebounds.
WVU shot 22 of 68 from the field, including 2 of 23 from 3-point range. Texas, which was led by Jatarie White’s 11 points, finished 27 of 67. The Longhorns featured three others with 10 points in the contest.
The Mountaineers were outrebounded, 52-40, in the loss, yet held an advantage in turnovers (14-9) and steals (6-4).
WVU will now await its postseason fate as selection for the NCAA Tournament is set to be announced on Monday, March 12.
Follow @WVUSports and @WVUWBB on Twitter
WVU (21-11), the No. 6 seed in the tournament, finished with four players in double figures but shot just 32.4 percent as a team in the loss.
“I thought we come out with energy,” WVU coach Mike Carey said. “Give Texas credit. They kept driving us. We took way too many threes. I kept saying we're settling for threes. I mean, you can't go 2 for 23 and expect to win the game. Long rebounds, layups on the other side because we kept missing. Give Texas credit, though, they gave us the three but didn't give us the drive.”
Senior forward Kristina King was involved from the opening tipoff, scoring eight of WVU’s 12 first-quarter points. First, senior guard Chania Ray found her on a fast break for the game’s first points, before King was able to finish a feed from senior forward Teana Muldrow.
Both teams got off to a chilly start from the field, as each made just two of their first eight shots of the night. Texas (26-5) was able to convert a 12-2 run to close the opening frame, including two late 3-pointers to give the Longhorns a 24-12 lead after 10 minutes.
Junior guard/forward Naomi Davenport registered the first two baskets for WVU in the second quarter before Ray found a cutting Muldrow to make it 36-22 Texas with 4:50 to go until halftime.
Later, Ray powered her way through the lane for a tough layup with 1:13 to go in the half. The Alexandria, Virginia, native finished with six points and five assists in the first half. Still, Texas led, 42-28, at the break.
Ray kept us her scoring pace at the start of the second half, scoring a pair of baskets in the opening three minutes of the third quarter. Then, WVU endured a spirt of nearly four minutes without a field goal before Davenport scored on an off-balanced shot close to the hoop to make it 52-35.
Davenport also made the Mountaineers’ first 3-pointer of the contest with 18 seconds to play in the frame. After the team combined to miss its first 15 shots from beyond the arc, Davenport’s triple cut Texas’ lead to 58-39.
Texas outscored West Virginia, 16-11, in the third quarter, however, and took a 58-40 advantage into the final frame.
Pardee tallied seven of her 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer with 2:29 to play. The Mountaineers went on to outscore the Longhorns, 15-10, in the period but could only get as close as 13 of the Texas lead.
Along with Pardee, Davenport finished with a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds for WVU. King added 12 points and six rebounds for the Mountaineers, while Ray chipped in with 10 points, along with eight assists and six rebounds.
WVU shot 22 of 68 from the field, including 2 of 23 from 3-point range. Texas, which was led by Jatarie White’s 11 points, finished 27 of 67. The Longhorns featured three others with 10 points in the contest.
The Mountaineers were outrebounded, 52-40, in the loss, yet held an advantage in turnovers (14-9) and steals (6-4).
WVU will now await its postseason fate as selection for the NCAA Tournament is set to be announced on Monday, March 12.
Follow @WVUSports and @WVUWBB on Twitter
