The WVU women’s basketball team returns to action on Saturday, January 21, at home against Texas Tech.
West Virginia (12-5, 3-3 Big 12) will aim to avenge it’s recent road loss to Kansas, in which the Mountaineers fell 77-58. WVU held a 14-point advantage over Kansas going into halftime at Allen Fieldhouse, but the Jayhawks found a rhythm in the third quarter, which helped them cut the WVU lead to 44-43 with a quarter left to play. The Jayhawks dominated the final quarter, outscoring the Mountaineers 34-14 in the fourth while shooting 4-for-4 from three-point land, and 18-for-20 from the free throw line.
Despite coming up short in Lawrence, the Mountaineers had four scorers reach double figures, with forward Kylee Blacksten leading the way with 13 points. In the back court, JJ Quinerly and Jayla Hemingway each recorded 12 points while Kyah Watson added 10 of her own.
The Mountaineers will need all the points they can get on Saturday, as Texas Tech (15-4, 3-3 Big 12) has scored 78 or more points in three of its last four Big 12 games. The Red Raiders can score the ball, and like Kansas, they have a talented back court that leads the charge.
Senior guard Bre’Amber Scott leads the way for the Red Raiders, as she is averaging nearly 17 points per game. Scott has been on a tear since Big 12 play started, as the Arkansas-Little Rock transfer is averaging 24.5 points per game in league play. In Texas Tech’s last two games, Scott has recored 65 points, including 28 points in a win over Texas and 37 points against Kansas State. Scott gets to the free throw line effectively, as she shot 19 foul shots against Kansas State and 14 against Texas. Make no mistake, Scott can score the ball efficiently from the field as well, as the Little Rock native shot 9-for-14 from the field against Kansas State and made four of her seven three-point shots against Texas.
Another weapon for the Red Raiders in the back court is redshirt freshman Jasmine Shavers. Shavers currently averages 9.4 points per game, but like her counterpart Scott, Shavers has improved against the Big 12 competition. In six conference games, Shavers has recored double digit points in four of those games, including 26 points against Kansas State.
At the forward position, WVU’s Blacksten will be matched up with senior Bryn Gerlich. Gerlich is 6-foot tall and is currently averaging eight points per game. Gerlich, the Oklahoma State transfer, put up 16 points at TCU and 18 points the following game against Oklahoma.
West Virginia will prepare to take on the offense-heavy Red Raiders with its constant producers, Quinerly, Hemingway, Smith, and Blacksten, but getting involvement from others has been difficult up to this point. While these four starters combine for around 43 points per game, the Mountaineers need other players to contribute.
A couple of players that have shined at moments in Big 12 play are Kyah Watson and Savannah Samuel. Watson, who starts for Dawn Plitzuweit’s first-year Mountaineers put up 10 points against Kansas while shooting 4-for-9 from the field. On the flip side, Samuel provided a spark off the bench in WVU’s win over TCU last week. Samuel scored 13 points while also shooting 4-for-9 from the field.
The Mountaineers and Red Raiders will meet on Saturday, January 21 from the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, WV. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
