West Virginia Holds Off Northwestern to Stay Unbeaten

On November 13, West Virginia pulled away late to defeat Northwestern 66-53 at the Greenbrier Tip-Off. The Mountaineers improved to 4-0, while Northwestern fell to 1-3 after losing its third straight game since its season-opening win over Milwaukee. West Virginia never trailed, but the Wildcats kept the contest close into the fourth quarter.

Gia Cooke led all scorers with 22 points, and reached 1,000 career points during the closing stretch. Zahirah Walton added 16 points and six steals, while Khyala Ngodu scored 10. Northwestern’s Kat Righeimer tied the game at 51 on a three-point play with 4:36 remaining. Divine Tumba answered with a jumper, and Walton and Cooke followed with layups. After Camdyn Nelson brought Northwestern within four, West Virginia scored the final nine points.

The Mountaineers made 21 of 58 shots from the field and 4 of 23 from three-point range. They made 20 free throws, compared with eight for Northwestern, and scored 22 points off the Wildcats’ 23 turnovers. Nelson led Northwestern with 12 points; Casey Harter scored 10. West Virginia is scheduled to host Akron on Tuesday. Northwestern’s next game is against Appalachian State on Saturday.