Kentucky women's basketball secured the team's first Sweet 16 appearance in a decade Monday, holding off West Virginia for a 74-73 win in the second round of the NCAA women’s tournament.
The fifth-seeded Wildcats (25-10) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2016, surviving a late push from fourth-seeded West Virginia, as reported by Ryan Black of the Louisville Courier Journal.
Teonni Key and Clara Strack led Kentucky. Key finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, recording her seventh double-double of the season, while Strack added 18 points and 15 rebounds for her 16th double-double. Strack helped break open a tied game in the third quarter as Kentucky scored the first nine points after halftime.
The Wildcats led by five after the first quarter and extended the margin to 11 early in the second before West Virginia responded. The Mountaineers closed the half on a 19-8 run to tie the game at 36. Kentucky regained control in the third, stretching its advantage to as many as 12 points entering the fourth quarter.
West Virginia (28-7) mounted a final push late, cutting the deficit to 72-71 with 1:20 remaining. Tonie Morgan answered with a jumper to extend the lead to three, and Kentucky made enough plays down the stretch to hold on. The final sequence came when a potential go-ahead shot by West Virginia’s Gia Cooke missed, and Key secured the rebound in the closing seconds.
Sydney Shaw led the Mountaineers with 23 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, while Kierra Wheeler added 16.
Kentucky will face top-seeded Texas in the Sweet 16 on Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
Reporting by John Raby of the Associated Press contributed to this article.
