Mountaineers Falter at OU - West Virginia University Athletics

Saturday, February 3

Norman, Okla.

3:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

17-6, 5-6

Oklahoma

12-11, 7-5

Team	1	2	3	4	F
West Virginia	11	15	15	16	57
Oklahoma	16	15	22	23	76

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

February 03, 2018 05:47 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

By: Ashley Bailey

NORMAN, Okla. – Shooting just over 32 percent from the field, the No. 21 West Virginia University women's basketball team dropped a 76-57 Big 12 contest to Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma, on Saturday.

"Give Oklahoma all the credit," coach Mike Carey said. "They played five times harder than we did. We deserved what we got. I told them that after the game."

Junior guard Katrina Pardee led the Mountaineers (17-6, 5-6) with 13 points, while senior forward Teana Muldrow grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. Senior forward Kristina King (12) and junior guard Naomi Davenport (11) also scored in double figures.

The Mountaineers were outscored 32-22 in the paint, while the Sooners (12-11, 7-5) also held a 27-16 edge in points off turnovers. West Virginia held the advantage in second-chance points 11-8 and each team grabbed 33 rebounds.

The Mountaineers struggled offensively at the start, making just two shots on 11 attempts, but managed to keep things close on a layup from King as they trailed 8-6 midway through the first quarter. King added two more points in the paint before freshman guard Ashley Jones hit a 3-pointer as WVU trailed Oklahoma 16-11 at the end of the first.

Pardee nailed a triple to start the second, and another layup by King brought the Mountaineers within one at 17-16 with 6:48 to play. Back-to-back treys from senior guard Chania Ray and Pardee knotted the score at 22-22, but a 6-0 Sooner run pushed WVU's deficit to six at 28-22. Ray picked up a pair at the free-throw line and King added yet another layup, but the Sooners hit another 3-pointer as WVU trailed 31-26 at halftime.

The two teams combined for five turnovers in the opening minutes of the third quarter before WVU got on the board with a jumper from King. Davenport hit a jumper and drew the foul, sinking the ensuing free throw to cut the WVU deficit to two at 33-31 just under eight to go in the quarter. Ray was fouled attempting a three and made the trio of free-throws before Muldrow added a freebie to tie the score at 35-35 with 6:20 to play in the frame.

The Sooners embarked on a 9-0 run that saw them push ahead 44-35. Davenport ended the streak with a layup and later added a pair at the charity stripe. However, OU ended the quarter on top with a 53-41 lead.

Pardee and Muldrow both hit the free-throw line early in the fourth, but the Sooners sunk a pair of early 3-pointers as WVU found itself on the wrong end of the 61-45 score. Oklahoma stretched the lead to 22, its largest of the game, with 3:15 left to play before Pardee hit a 3-pointer to make the score 72-53. Pardee then hit a pair of shots from the charity stripe to make the score 76-55. Freshman forward Destiny Harden added a layup with 24 seconds in the game to make the final score 76-57.

WVU returns to Morgantown to host No. 8 Texas on Monday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. EST from the WVU Coliseum with the game set to air on FS1.