No. 24 West Virginia women’s basketball just stayed undefeated, moving to a perfect 4-0 after beating Northwestern 66-53 on Friday at the Greenbrier Tip-Off. Gia Cooke was absolutely lights out with 22 points, but what’s crazy is the Mountaineers didn’t even *need* their shots to fall to keep that pristine record intact.
Mountaineers Never Trailed, Then Slammed the Door
West Virginia came out strong and never looked back, holding the lead for the entire game. Cooke was obviously the star, but Zahirah Walton brought it big time too, dropping 16 points and snagging six steals. Khyala Ngodu chipped in with 10 points, making it a real team effort. Northwestern tried to make it a game, though. Kat Righeimer actually pulled them even at 51-all with just 4:36 left in the fourth quarter, tying it up for only the third time all night. But Divine Tumba answered immediately with a jumper just 18 seconds later. Then Walton and Cooke went back-to-back with layups, just shutting down any Northwestern momentum. Camdyn Nelson tried to keep the Wildcats close, cutting the deficit to four points with 2:45 remaining, but West Virginia flexed their muscles and scored the final nine points of the game. That’s how you close it out!
How They Won (Despite Not Being Able to Hit the Ocean)
Here’s the wild part: West Virginia shot a rough 38% from the field, only hitting 21 of 58 attempts. From three-point range? Forget about it, they were a dismal 4 of 23, good for just 17%. So how do you win by 13 points with those numbers? Two words: Free throws and turnovers. The Mountaineers outscored Northwestern a massive 20-8 from the free-throw line. And the Wildcats just kept giving the ball away, coughing it up 23 times, which WVU turned into 22 points. That’s how you grind out a win when the shot isn’t falling! For Northwestern, Camdyn Nelson led with 12 points and Casey Harter added 10. Lily Carmody had a solid stat line with nine points, eight rebounds, and five assists, but she also committed six turnovers and eventually fouled out. Those turnovers were brutal for the Wildcats, who have now dropped three straight games since their season-opening win against Milwaukee.
Northwestern needs to turn things around quick. They’re playing Appalachian State on Saturday at Colonial Hall, and they gotta stop this losing streak cold. West Virginia, though, they’re sitting pretty at 4-0. They’ll host Akron on Tuesday, looking to keep that perfect record gleaming. What a start to the season for the Mountaineers!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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