West Virginia women’s basketball team used a fourth quarter in which they out scored Baylor 17-8 to help propel the Mountaineers to a 74-65 upset victory over No. 18 Baylor at home on Sunday.
West Virginia (12-4, 3-2) had four players score at least 15 points, while the Mountaineers picked up their third consecutive win in conference play.
The Mountaineers opened the game with a strong first quarter offensively. In the opening 10 minutes, West Virginia went 8 for 17 from the field, including making five three-pointers. West Virginia took a 9-point lead into the second quarter, after West Virginia held Baylor to just 4 for 18 shooting in the first quarter.
Leading 23-14 to begin the second quarter, West Virginia was able to hold their lead for the majority of the second quarter before the Bears went on a late flurry to end the first half. In the final 3:21 of the second quarter, Baylor used a 12-0 run to take a 34-33 lead into halftime.
Baylor shot 53 percent from the field in the second quarter and made both of their three-pointers of the quarter during their late run. West Virginia would go cold in the second quarter, shooting just 4 for 16 from the field, and missed five shots from beyond the arc.
In the third, Baylor raced out to a 10-point lead. The Bears used an 11-2 run over the opening 3:17 of the third quarter as they held a 45-35 lead. The Mountaineers answered back, cutting the Baylor lead to seven, before going on an 8-0 run to take a 1-point lead. After late free throws from both teams, they would go into the fourth quarter tied, 57-57.
In the fourth, West Virginia’s defense showed up when they needed to most. West Virginia forced seven turnovers in the fourth, leading to six points. The Mountaineers also held the Bears to 3 for 16 shooting in the final period, as well as holding the Bears blank from three-point range.
From the 7:47 mark to the 3:14 mark of the fourth quarter, West Virginia used a 9-0 run to lead by nine, before Baylor would score the next four points to cut the lead to five. That’s as close as Baylor would get though, with the Mountaineers closing the door on the Bears.
West Virginia’s JJ Quinerly led West Virginia with 18 points, while Madisen Smith and Kylee Blacksten had 16 points, and Jayla Hemingway chipped n with 15 points of her own. Hemingway also recorded a double-double, grabbing 14 rebounds on the afternoon.
Baylor’s Sarah Andrews had a game-high 24 points, with the Bears shooting 36 percent from the field.
Photo by Aaron Parker, Blue Gold Sports
