MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Against several odds Saturday afternoon, the WVU women’s basketball team knocked off Oklahoma State 67-59 at the WVU Coliseum to earn its 10th win of the season, thanks in large part to an unlikely source.
Kirsten “KK” Deans usually comes off the bench but got the start against the Cowgirls, finishing with a team-high 18 points and five assists at her guard spot. The Mountaineers (10-2, 4-2 Big 12) were grateful to even have Deans, who missed practice the last two days and had a 102-degree fever Friday.
Of Deans’ 18 points, 12 came in the second half and were part of a 37-17 run down the stretch midway in the third quarter and through the fourth. Down 42-30 with 5:38 remaining in the third frame, Deans hit a 3-pointer, followed by six points from Kari Niblack and another two by Madisen Smith to pull within one during an 11-0 run.
After swapping the lead in the fourth quarter, Jasmine Carson’s 3-pointer finally gave WVU a two-possession lead it wouldn’t relinquish, avenging a 78-73 loss to the Cowgirls (9-4, 6-2) on Dec. 18. The Mountaineers have now won five straight and will host Kansas State at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
“I thought that was a big gut-check,” head coach Mike Carey said. “You’ve got to give our players a lot of credit. We seemed tired for some reason and we’re playing without a player, and then KK had a temperature of 102 and came back and played. For her to have the game she had, you’ve gotta give her credit.”
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Carey also credited Smith, who played all 40 minutes and finished with 14 points, Niblack (14 points) and Esmery Martinez (12 points and 10 rebounds) for their performances, especially with the absence of leading-scorer Kysre Gondrezick.
Deans got the start for Gondrezick, who missed the game to attend her father’s funeral. Gondrezick played the last two games since his passing in the wins against Texas and Texas Tech.
“We’re all here for her. I’m glad we got this win — I know that’s a relief for her,” Deans said. “We all have our prayers to her and her family right now.”
Oklahoma State carried a 3-point lead into the locker room at halftime, and after the game against Texas Tech last Wednesday that left Carey upset about WVU’s offensive flow, it wasn’t much better in the first half against the Cowgirls. The Mountaineers show 39% from the field and missed plenty of easy baskets under the rim, while also committed 12 turnovers.
Those were both cleaned up in the second half, shooting 51% from the field and cutting the turnovers in half to just six.
“Timing was off, everything was off (early),” Carey said. “KK didn’t practice, Kysre wasn’t here, I had Esmery out of position at [small forward], so yeah, it wasn’t smooth out there.”
Oklahoma State’s Natasha Mack, a projected top 10 pick in the WNBA draft, was held to 15 points. Ja’Mee Asberry led all scorers with 24 points.
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