No. 7 WVU holds off Kansas, claims Big 12 top seed
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Morgantown, WV (SportsNetwork.com) - Bria Holmes scored 16 points and No. 7 West Virginia withstood a late charge from Kansas to earn a 67-60 victory that gave the Mountaineers a share of the Big 12 regular-season title.
Asya Bussie and Christal Caldwell added 14 points each and West Virginia (27-3, 16-2 Big 12) overcame a 38.6 percent shooting night to notch its 10th consecutive win. The Mountaineers were fresh off Sunday's 71-69 road triumph at Baylor, a result that ended the Lady Bears' 35-game home win streak against conference opponents.
West Virginia finished tied with Baylor for first place in the conference, but will be the top seed in the upcoming Big 12 Tournament by virtue of holding the tiebreaker.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kansas (12-18, 5-13) was dealt a fifth straight loss despite Cece Harper's game-high 19 points and seven assists. Natalie Knight finished with 17 points.
The Jayhawks owned a four-point lead late in the first half, but West Virginia closed out the period on a 10-2 run to take a 32-28 advantage into the break. It was a two-point game with under 14 minutes left, before an 11-3 spurt capped by Jess Harlee's layup put the Mountaineers up 53-43 nearing the midway mark of the second half.
West Virginia held a 63-51 lead with just over three minutes to play when the Jayhawks scored eight straight points, with Knight's triple with 1:59 to go pulling Kansas within five.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Jayhawks failed to make a field goal the rest of the way, however, and Harleee hit 1-of-2 free throws with 40 seconds left after a Kansas turnover for a 66-58 edge that all but ended the upset bid.