In its first game at No. 17 in the nation, WVU Women’s Basketball extended its winning streak to three, beating Texas Tech 89-53.
The victory is WVU’s best in terms of scoring margin in conference play this season, just ahead of its 22-point New Year’s Day victory over UCF.
Both the Mountaineers and Red Raiders entered Wednesday night with 12 wins, with Texas Tech at 12-4 overall and 1-2 in the conference and WVU just ahead at 12-2 and 2-1 in Big 12 play.
WVU’s trademarked defensive pressure bothered Texas Tech early, holding off the Red Raiders’ first score until 4:34 in. The Mountaineers picked up an 11-0 head start as a result, which included a Sydney Shaw three on her first attempt and six WVU free throws.
Shaw’s three was WVU’s only attempt in the first quarter. With a quick transition offense, though, WVU got in the paint and to the line to go up 24-8 by the end of the period. JJ Quinerly scored 13 in the first on 4-for-5 shooting plus four free throws.
Texas Tech picked up four personal fouls before WVU picked up its first, a Jordan Harrison foul on the floor. The Mountaineers continued to draw fouls throughout, drawing eight in the first quarter and 25 for the game.
Offensively, West Virginia was mostly stagnant in the second quarter. After going 6-for-8 from the field in the first, WVU regressed to two makes in its first eight shots in the second. The Mountaineers picked it up to finish 6-for-14 in the period and keep a 42-17 lead entering halftime.
Two WVU players had already hit double digits in points by halftime, with Quinerly scoring 17 in the first half and Jordan Harrison adding 12. Texas Tech’s highest scorer in the first half was guard Bailey Maupin, who had five points.
With WVU’s lead strong, the Mountaineers only had to keep pace with Texas Tech for the remainder, and as the Red Raiders stepped up in scoring, they did so, matching Texas Tech’s 24 points in the third quarter.
Late, Mark Kellogg gave opportunity to the team’s depth chart, giving minutes to seniors Tirzah Moore, Zya Nugent, and Danelle Arigbabu to name a few.
Shaw joined Quinerly and Harrison in double digits by the end of the game, finishing with 19 on 8-for-10 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 shooting from behind the arc.
WVU’s 6-foot-3 pair of Kylee Blacksten and Celia Riviere each finished with 10 as well. Quinerly and Harrison finished with 21 and 20 points respectively.
With Texas Tech’s third-quarter outburst, the Mountaineers stay second in the Big 12 and fourth in the NCAA in points allowed.
The Mountaineers will see action next on Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma against Oklahoma State. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. ET.
