No. 15 West Virginia convincingly beat rival Pittsburgh 82-54 on Tuesday, continuing an impressive start to the season.
For a third-straight game, the Mountaineers forced 30 or more turnovers. They had 17 steals and two blocks, leaving the Panthers little room to operate.
Both teams struggled offensively throughout. Pitt shot under 33% from the field and under 23% from three, while WVU shot under 40% from the field and 20% from three.
West Virginia’s defense picked up where it left off against Niagara, forcing a shot clock violation on Pitt’s first offensive possession and a steal on their next. However, Pitt was soon leading 5-3 after WVU’s offense failed to score following an opening three.
West Virginia eventually tied the game, but then both teams struggled offensively. Pitt had a scoring drought of over four minutes, while WVU struggled to hit a field goal.
They began to hit their stride as time ran out in the first quarter, though. At the end of the first, the Mountaineers led 12-9 and they looked to build their lead in the second.
JJ Quinerly made a layup right out of the gate in the first quarter for WVU, which set the tone for the second quarter. They went on a 7-0 run and continued forcing turnovers.
West Virginia built their lead as the second quarter progressed, leading by double digits for a good portion of the quarter. At halftime, they led 35-25.
WVU forced 15 Pitt turnovers in the first two quarters that turned into almost half their points, 17. Quinerly led all scorers in the first half with 11.
The second half started favorably for the Mountaineers. At the beginning of the third quarter, they had a 6-0 run in just over 30 seconds.
WVU couldn’t keep up with that pace though. Both teams had their woes around the middle of the third quarter, but things picked up towards the end of the quarter.
Heading into the fourth quarter, West Virginia held a comfortable 15-point lead, 56-41. The Mountaineers looked to close out the game and emerge victorious.
West Virginia built their lead to over 20 thanks to a 10-2 run to open the fourth, as Pitt’s chances of coming back looked slim. Pitt was only hurting their chances further as they were assessed two technicals approaching the midway point of the fourth quarter.
WVU Successfully pulled off a near-30-point win, defeating their rivals 82-54.
The Mountaineers had three players end with 10+ points. Quinerly led the charge with 17 points despite missing all 10 three-point attempts; Jordan Harrison had 14, and Sydney Shaw had 11.
West Virginia improves to 3-0 to kick off their 2024-2025 campaign. They’ll host Texas A&M in a coal rush game on Friday.
