No. 24 Oklahoma State Falls to No. 21 West Virginia in Low-Scoring Affair
The Cowgirls didn’t have enough in one of the ugliest games of the season.
On Saturday, No. 24 Oklahoma State fell to No. 21 West Virginia 54-37 at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. After the Cowgirls won the first matchup between the teams in Stillwater, the Mountaineers got their revenge on their home floor.
The first matchup between the teams in January was somewhat ugly but had plenty of solid moments and was a back-and-forth affair. However, that intensity didn’t translate to the second matchup.
The Cowgirls offense struggled to find anything to go its way throughout the day, but Alexia Smith managed to be a bright spot and kept her team within striking distance. Smith had 15 points and 11 rebounds and shot 9-of-9 from the foul line to help OSU’s offense find some type of rhythm.
Along with struggling to hit shots, OSU was plagued throughout the afternoon by its turnovers. The Cowgirls gave it away 21 times against the Mountaineers, leading to 17 points.
Despite trailing by double figures for much of the second half, OSU’s defense was never the issue. It forced West Virginia to shoot 40.4% from the floor and 23.5% from beyond the arc while forcing 20 turnovers. Still, Sidney Shaw and Ja’Naiya Quinerly each scored in double figures, combining for 33 points to lead the Mountaineer offense.
OSU star Stailee Heard had been on a hot streak, carrying the Cowgirls back into the top 25 over the past few weeks. However, she failed to make her usual impact in Morgantown. Heard finished the game with seven points, five rebounds and six turnovers on 3-of-9 shooting.
Beyond Heard, OSU’s other usual offensive weapons also struggled to get going. Anna Gret Asi finished without a point on only five shots, and Micah Gray had seven points on 2-of-13 shooting.
West Virginia’s defense was stifling throughout the afternoon and simply never allowed Jacie Hoyt’s team to find success. While the Cowgirls struggled, they are unlikely to have another performance like this again soon.
OSU won’t have to play again until next Saturday when it hosts another top-25 in Kansas State. While this loss stings for the Cowgirls, they will soon get an opportunity to affirm their status as one of the best in the Big 12.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.