Coming into Saturday, West Virginia women’s basketball had only two losses on the season.
One of those losses was to Iowa State, as the Mountaineer avenged that loss on Saturday, as JJ Quinerly scored 31 and WVU held on late to win 84-78.
Quinerly scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, including the final 11 points of the game as WVU held off a late Cyclone surge to get the win.
Things were back and forth for the majority of the game on Saturday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum, with Iowa State’s size being a problem for the Mountaineers. They held an 18-11 rebounding advantage in the first half, but WVU’s pressure on defense helped them hold a 12-6 turnover advantage in the first half as the Mountaineers trailed 40-38 at halftime.
When the Mountaineers were beat in Ames, they lost the game in the third and fourth quarter. This time around, things were different.
Iowa State led in the third quarter by as many as five, but a 10-1 run over the final 3:29 of the third quarter, propelled the Mountaineers in front 63-58 to end the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers held serve at home, using Quinerly and their trademark defense.
Iowa State made their lowest percentage of shots in the fourth quarter (38 percent), while they also went 1 for 6 from three. WVU also shot their lowest percentage from the field out of all four quarters, while they also missed three of their six free throws.
It didn’t matter as Quinerly was the difference, and WVU led the rebounding advantage 10-9 over the final quarter of the game. The Mountaineers went 4 for 7 from deep in the fourth quarter, with Quinerly making a pair of them and Jordan Harrison making the other two.
Six of Harrison’s 13 total points game in the fourth quarter.
Kylee Blacksten and Lauren Fields each added 14 points for the Mountaineers, including a three-point buzzer beater from Fields to end the first quarter.
The Mountaineers forced 24 turnovers leading to 26 points, while Iowa State led the rebounding numbers, 36-27 overall.
Audi Crooks for Iowa State had 25 points on 8 for 15 shooting, including going 9 for 11 from the free throw line. She also had 16 rebounds.
WVU has won four consecutive games now, and the Mountaineers are in the top three of the Big 12 standings with the win.
