No. 15 West Virginia Women's Basketball Wins Big 12 Tournament Semifinal

Gia Cooke's clutch 3-pointer in the final minute lifts the Mountaineers over Colorado

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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In a close Big 12 Tournament semifinal matchup, No. 15 West Virginia's Gia Cooke scored 14 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute, to help the Mountaineers escape with a 48-47 victory over Colorado.

Why it matters

This win advances West Virginia to the Big 12 Tournament championship game, keeping their hopes alive for an NCAA Tournament bid. The Mountaineers are looking to build on a strong regular season and make a deep postseason run.

The details

With Colorado leading 45-43 with just over a minute remaining, Gia Cooke hit a clutch 3-pointer to give West Virginia the lead. The Mountaineers then held on defensively in the final seconds to secure the narrow victory over the sixth-seeded Buffaloes.

  • The game was played on Saturday night in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri.

The players

Gia Cooke

A key player for the No. 15 West Virginia women's basketball team, Cooke scored 14 points including the game-winning 3-pointer in the final minute.

Desiree Wooten

A player for the Colorado Buffaloes, Wooten hit a 3-pointer to give Colorado a 45-43 lead with just over a minute remaining in the game.

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What’s next

West Virginia will advance to the Big 12 Tournament championship game, where they will look to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The takeaway

This close victory showcases West Virginia's resilience and ability to make winning plays in crunch time, which will be crucial as they aim for a deep postseason run.