LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Meg Bulger had 31 points and 11 rebounds and West Virginia extended its longest postseason run ever, holding off Kentucky 80-75 in double overtime in the semifinals of the Women’s NIT on Monday night.
West Virginia (21-12) was scoreless for more than 11 1/2 minutes in the second half and squandered a 20-point lead, before rallying and outscoring Kentucky 14-9 in the second overtime.
Sarah Elliott finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Wildcats, who matched their season high with 23 turnovers and completed their longest postseason run.
West Virginia shot 11-for-23 from 3-point range. Sherrel Sowho led the way, going 5-for-7 and scoring 21 points. Bulger shot 4-for-9 from 3-point range.
Kentucky hit just 3 of 17 shots from beyond the arc, including 2-of-10 by Sara Potts.
Bulger, the leading scorer in the Big East, had eight points in the second overtime and went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in the final 26.8 seconds.
The Mountaineers will play either Iowa or Southwest Missouri State for the WNIT title on Thursday.
West Virginia led 49-29 with 16:43 left, but didn’t score again until 5:09 remained. After Sowho’s 3-pointer put the Mountaineers ahead by 20 points, West Virginia had just three baskets and nine points in the final minutes of regulation.
Kentucky took its first lead at 53-52 with 2:27 left. West Virginia regained the lead before Potts made a 6-footer with 7.8 seconds left to tie the game.
After a West Virginia turnover, Kentucky freshman Samantha Mahoney missed a well-guarded 3-pointer at the buzzer.
After scoring 32 and 31 points in Kentucky’s two previous games, Potts finished with 29. Entering the WNIT, the senior guard’s career high was 30 points.
The teams traded the lead in the first overtime. West Virginia went just 4-of-8 from the line. Potts made two free throws with 15.9 seconds left to tie the game at 66-all, and Yolanda Paige missed at the buzzer for West Virginia.
Kentucky didn’t score for the first three minutes of the second overtime. Bulger scored with 1:53 left to give West Virginia a 72-66 lead, and the Mountaineers shot 6-for-8 from the line to help seal the win.
