The West Virginia Mountaineers were victorious in their first game at the Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday aginst Arizona State, and likely ended the Sun Devils' hopes of advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
But Arizona State didn't go down without giving the Mountaineers quite a fight, and a big part of why they were able to do so involved the performance of a former WVU commit and West Virginia native.
Fairmont native Marley Washenitz steps up for Sun Devils against the Mountaineers
Marley Washenitz, who originally committed to the Mountaineers in the Class of 2022 before players with extra eligibility due to COVID took her spot on the roster. She would spend three seasons at WVU's archrival Pitt before hitting the portal last offseason, and ended up at Arizona State this season.
Washenitz is fourth in scoring this season for the Sun Devils with 7.6 points per game, but managed just three points in her return to the Mountain State earlier this year in a loss to WVU. But on Friday, she was one of the driving forces that kept her team in the game.
Washenitz would lead her team with 14 points, and hit a three-pointer to top off 8-0 run in the fourth quarter that narrowed the WVU lead to just two points. But in the end, she didn't get quite enough help from her team to help lead the Sun Devils to a win.
Washenitz starred at Fairmont Senior, where she was a two-time West Virginia State Player of the Year and four-time First-Team All-State selection. She finished her high school career with 2,000 points, 781 rebounds, 512 steals and 464 assists.