The postseason fate for West Virginia remains to be seen.
If the Mountaineers fall short of a spot in the NCAA Tournament spot, they’ll be thinking about Friday’s 62-61 loss to Oklahoma State for some time.
No. 5 seed West Virginia was within 1 second of advancing, but No. 4 Oklahoma State got a go-ahead basket from Terry Milton just before time expired to claim the one-point victory as part of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Women’s Championship at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
“It was a heartbreaking loss for our young ladies. I thought our effort and intensity was good, but we could not get stops down the stretch, which hurt us,” said WVU head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. “[Oklahoma State] made contested shots, and we had some shots that did not go in.”
In the final six and a half minutes of the game, West Virginia (19-11) scored only one field goal in the final 6-plus minutes — a Madisen Smith three-pointer to put the Mountaineers up 61-57 with 2:02 left.
However, Oklahoma State (20-10) finished the game on a 15-3 run over the final 6:18 and held WVU to multiple scoring droughts in the last quarter, including over the final 2:02.
Plitzuweit remains optimistic about her team’s resume heading into Selection Sunday.
“I certainly think our young ladies have earned an opportunity to keep playing and play in the NCAA Tournament,” Plitzuweit noted. “With our resume, finishing tied for fourth place in the Big 12. I think our young ladies deserve an opportunity to keep playing.”
The Mountaineers held OSU leading scorer Naomie Alnatas to five points on March 1 in Morgantown, a game that resulted in a 71-67 WVU victory. However, Alnatas poured in a team-high 16 points, including eight in the fourth quarter, on Friday.
“She is a great player, and she is a player who can make many things happen for them,” Plitzuweit said. “She is someone that can get to the rim. Naomie cannot only score on a kick out, but she can dribble penetrate, get you off balance, and step through in one of her go-to scenarios.”
The Mountaineers held a 53-42 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Over the first three quarters, WVU shot 44 percent.
However, in the fourth quarter, that percentage dwindled to 23 and Plitzuweit’s team managed only three field goals.
“We did not stop them from scoring the ball in the fourth,” stated WVU guard JJ Quinerly, who finished with 18 points. “We cannot go back and change anything, but I am sure everyone wants to.”
Smith led all scorers with 23 points, including 15 in the first half.
“Maddy is a young lady who not only plays her heart out, but she is helping her teammates,” Plitzuweit said. “She does a great job on the court by leading us in any way possible. I think our young ladies have done what they need to do to keep playing on the biggest stage of women’s college basketball, and we hope to send her off that way.”
“Maddy has been with West Virginia for a long time,” Quinerly added. “Seeing her going out like this hurts me, and it hurts her so much more. We’ll tell her that we love her and will be with her through everything.”
It was a sloppy first quarter as both teams shot a combined 41 percent and turned it over 12 times. Neither side could stretch their leads past three. However, an Isis Beh layup with three seconds remaining gave WVU a 17-14 advantage heading into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, WVU’s defense helped the Mountaineers lead 29-18 following a 7-0 run that included consecutive baskets from Smith.
Oklahoma State trailed 34-24 at halftime.
After a Quinerly layup with 8:12 left in the third, the Cowgirls cut an 11-point deficit down to three, 38-35, after an 8-0 run that featured Taylen Collins netting five points. Collins finished with 14 points.
Still, WVU responded by scoring seven unanswered points to stretch its lead back to ten 45-35, with 3:22 remaining. The Mountaineers increased the advantage to 13 following a Smith triple, making it 53-40 with 53 seconds in the third.
From there, however, OSU had its way.
West Virginia made 9-of-20 three-pointers — only the second time the Mountaineers have shot 45 percent or better. WVU also forced 20 OSU turnovers, which led to 19 points.