No. 10 West Virginia women’s basketball battled No. 7 Arizona, but the Mountaineers couldn’t regroup after a slow start defensively, falling, 75-62 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats got off to a hot start offensively shooting 72 percent from the field in the first, and scoring 28 points. Arizona was led by Shaina Pellington, scoring nine of her 18 points in the first quarter. The Mountaineers struggled from the start, with Arizona racing out to an 11-4 lead and forcing a WVU timeout. Jayla Hemingway scored eight of her 11 points in the first quarter, as the Wildcats were able to neutralize her after that point.
In the second, West Virginia was able to respond from a slow start and get back into the game. All of West Virginia’s 16 second-quarter points came either in the paint or at the free throw line. The Mountaineers relied upon JJ Quinerly and her ability to get to the rim as they trailed 40-33 heading into halftime.
In the third, the Mountaineers kept the game within striking distance for the majority of the quarter. Again led by Quinerly — who finished with a team-high 19 points — the Mountaineers kept the game within four or five points for the majority of the quarter.
Arizona forward Cate Reese would respond on her own. The fifth-year senior, scored 10 of her game-high 25 points in the quarter.
Quinerly hit a jumper for West Virginia with 3:33 to play in the quarter, before Reese helped the Wildcats score five of their final six points of the half, while the Mountaineers were held to one. This ballooned the Arizona lead to 10, as West Virginia could never recover.
In the fourth, West Virginia did not scored until the 6:45 mark of the quarter. Arizona took advantage, increasing their lead to 17, and West Virginia never got back into the game.
Fifth-year senior Madisen Smith finished with seven points on 2 for 14 shooting, while going 1 for 8 from three-point range.
The Mountaineers finished the day shooting 31 percent from the field, while Arizona made 46 percent of their shots.
