STILLWATER, Okla. — Bria Holmes scored 21 points and the West Virginia women overcame a 12-point deficit in the final seven minutes to upset No. 11 Oklahoma State 71-67 on Saturday.
“That was a great game,” said West Virginia coach Mike Carey, whose team won its 13th consecutive game and snapped OSU’s 12-game streak. “Oklahoma State has a great team. They kicked our butt on the glass and I thought they out-hustled us for a majority of the game.”
The Mountaineers (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) trailed by 12 with 6:18 remaining, before Christal Caldwell rattled off five consecutive points to spark a 16-4 run that notched the game at 67 all.
With 1:35 left in the game, WVU pulled ahead on a Holmes layup. After a miss by OSU (12-1, 1-1 Big 12), West Virginia’s Jess Harlee came down with the rebound, was fouled and made 1-of-2 free throws. The Cowgirls missed the potential tying 3-pointer before Caldwell rebounded and then made 1-of-2 also to seal it.
“Our girls showed a lot of heart,” Carey said. “We were down big in the first half and down big in the second half, and fought back.”
WVU center Asya Bussie added 13 points, recorded five blocks and co-led on the boards with senior guard Caldwell with seven rebounds. Caldwell also chipped in another 12 points.
WVU was outrebounded for the first time this season, 45-34, but the Mountaineers shot 46.2 percent from the field to Oklahoma State’s 31.7 percent.
OSU was led in scoring by LaShawn Jones with a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Tiffany Bias and Brittany Atkins added 13 points each.
The Mountaineers return home to face Baylor on Wednesday at the WVU Coliseum.