West Virginia Pulls Away Late to Defeat Northwestern at Greenbrier Tipoff

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – Behind a dominant fourth-quarter effort, the No. 24 West Virginia women's basketball team improved to 4-0 on the season with a 66-53 victory over Northwestern on Friday evening at Colonial Hall at The Greenbrier.

Locked in a tight battle for much of the second half, West Virginia used a 20-9 advantage in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Wildcats and remain unbeaten. The Mountaineers closed the game on a 15-2 run over the final 3:52 and held Northwestern without a field goal during the final 2:45.

Gia Cooke paced the Mountaineers with a game-high 22 points, including 10-of-12 shooting from the free-throw line, while adding six rebounds and three assists. Late in the action, the senior guard scored her 1,000^th career point.

Forward Zahirah Walton added 16 points, six steals and three assists, and center Khyala Ngodu finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Skylar Forbes contributed across the board with seven points, six rebounds, three blocks and three steals.

After taking a 36-30 lead into halftime, West Virginia saw Northwestern battle back and pull even at 38-38 midway through the third quarter. The Mountaineers regained control behind key baskets from Cooke and Ngodu and carried a slim 46-44 advantage into the final period.

The Wildcats trimmed the deficit to one point on multiple occasions in the fourth quarter and eventually tied the game at 51-51 with 4:36 remaining.

West Virginia responded immediately. A putback by Divine Tumba, a transition layup from Walton and consecutive scores by Cooke sparked a 9-2 run that pushed the lead to nine at 60-53 with 2:16 left.

From there, the Mountaineers slammed the door shut. West Virginia forced five Northwestern turnovers in the final two minutes and scored the game's final six points while holding the Wildcats scoreless over the final 2:45. WVU finished the final five minutes on a 15-2 run.
As a team, West Virginia forced 22 Northwestern turnovers and converted them into 23 points. The Mountaineers also recorded 15 steals and six blocks in another strong defensive performance. West Virginia never trailed in the contest.

Northwestern was led by Camdyn Nelson with 12 points, while Casey Harter added 10 and Lily Carmody scored nine points.

West Virginia returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 17, when they host Akron for education day. Tipoff for the contest is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET inside Hope Coliseum.

For the latest information on West Virginia women's basketball, visit WVUsports.com and follow @WVUWBB on social media.

Players Mentioned

Khyala Ngodu

Gia Cooke

Skylar Forbes

Divine Tumba

Zahirah Walton

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