No. 22 West Virginia women's basketball drops close road contest with No. 10 Kansas State

No. 22 WVU women’s basketball was dealt a heartbreaking 73-64 overtime loss Wednesday night against No. 10 Kansas State.

The Mountaineers (22-4, 11-4) nearly proved enough to knock off their top-ten competition on the road, as they had secured a six-point advantage entering the final quarter of play.

But Kansas State (23-4, 12-3) was able to demonstrate just why they’re considered amongst the top programs in the nation this season, and stormed from behind to re-take the lead late in the fourth period. 

WVU refused to quit without a fight, though, and during the final seconds of regulation sophomore guard Jordan Harrison would take the ball coast-to-coast to convert a jaw-dropping layup to force extra time.

But Kansas State was too much to put away, and jumped out to an insurmountable gap quickly with the additional five minutes of play. The Wildcats were paced by an incredible performance from senior Ayoka Lee, who tallied 34 points and 12 rebounds in the win. WVU, meanwhile, was led by J.J. Quinerly with 23 points.

The loss will move WVU down in the Big 12 standings as they inch closer to conference tournament play. Both the Wildcats and Mountaineers entered tied for second-place in the league, and with Wednesday’s result, the Mountaineers dropped to fourth-place outright. However, WVU certainly impressed in the showing, proving their ability to compete against one of the best programs nationwide this season. Their performance earned praise from the ESPN commentary team all evening, and may make a mark with the NCAA Tournament selection committee and improve their seeding come postseason play.