West Virginia will head to Ames, Iowa on Wednesday for their first Big 12 road game of the season against Iowa State. Tip-off is set for 7:30.
West Virginia lost their Big 12 opener at home against No. 17 Oklahoma, 98-77. The 98 points were the most the Mountaineers have allowed this season, surpassing the 78 points they allowed to NC State.
JJ Quinerly and Madisen Smith led the Mountaineers in that game, scoring 28 and 23 points respectively. the 28 points for Quinerly was a career-high.
Iowa State defeated Texas Tech in their Big 12 opener, 81-58. Ashley Joens led the way for the Cyclones, scoring 22 points, followed by Lexi Donarski who scored 21.
Iowa State has won the last four matchups against the Mountaineers, including defeating them in the second round of the Big 12 championship last season.
West Virginia’s last win over the Cyclones came on February 3rd, 2021, when the Mountaineers defeated them 65-56 in Morgantown.
Iowa State is led by All-American guard Ashley Joens, who is averaging 19.5 points per game this season. Three other Cyclones are also in double figure scoring this season, Stephanie Soares (15.6), Emily Ryan (12.9), and Lexi Donarski (11.8).
Despite winning the last four matchups, WVU leads the all-time series against Iowa State, 12-10. Iowa State is 6-4 against the Mountaineers when they meet in Ames, however.
West Virginia leads the Big 12 in steals per game with 11.8, and turnover margin at 9.0. West Virginia will need their defense to improve from their game against Oklahoma to take home an upset win over the Cyclones.
Photo by Aaron Parker
