Women's Basketball, WVU Sports

No. 20 West Virginia secures the Big 12’s No. 2 seed with road win against K-State

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — In a very West Virginia-like manner, the Mountaineers secured the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday with a 72-64 victory against Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum.

“We were out of position the whole game,” WVU head coach Mike Carey said. “We had Esmery (Maretinez) playing (center). Our girls showed a lot of heart. I’ll tell you what, this team plays hard and shows a lot of heart. I’m very proud of them.”

Martinez recorded her 13th double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds, but was forced into action at center when Blessing Ejifor and Kari Niblack combined for seven fouls in the first half.

That changed the Mountaineers’ lineup completely.

BOX SCORE

K.K. Deans played mostly at point guard and Jayla Hemingway shifted to power forward.

“I had Esmery at center and she said she needed a break,” Carey said. “I told her I couldn’t give her a break, because I had no one to go in for her. I had a point guard who has never played point guard. I had a power forward who has never played power forward. Everyone was playing out of position. This is what this team is made of, though.”

The No. 20 Mountaineers (19-4, 13-4) are playing shorthanded, because starting point guard Madisen Smith is out with a hamstring injury, while three other players transferred out of the program this season.

It hardly slowed down the Mountaineers, who have won 14 of their last 16 games.

Martinez was the hero in the box score on Wednesday, but Niblack stepped up big in the fourth quarter, too.

Although she was held without a field goal, Niblack came up with two big assists on back-door cuts from Martinez and Jasmine Carson that helped give WVU a 69-64 lead with with 3:10 remaining.

Niblack then came up with a steal, as the Wildcats tried to get the ball inside to their 6-foot-5 center Ayoka Lee, who was dominant with 26 points and 14 rebounds.

And when Kysre Gondrezick nailed the dagger — a 3-pointer with 26 seconds remaining — she did so by coming off a screen set for her by Niblack.

“She was huge,” Carey said of Niblack, who finished with six points and six rebounds. “I’d just like to keep her in the game is all. Kari can pass and she can put it on the floor and drive. She really came up big for us and we needed that.”

Gondrezick finished with 14 points and five assists and Deans added 13 points and nine assists.

WVU ends its regular season with a game at No. 6 Baylor on Monday.

The Bears have already secured the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament.

TWEET @bigjax3211