West Virginia women’s basketball defeated Kansas State earlier today by a score of 73-69. This win moves the Mountaineers onto the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament.
Kansas State began the game red-hot from the field, shooting 13/15 in the first quarter to take a 33-23 lead. They were led by Temira Poindexter, who had 9 quick points; she finished with 16 points on the night. The Mountaineers, who shot 78% in that first quarter, still found themselves down ten points.
Kansas State began the second quarter shooting 1/6 from the field, and the Mountaineers were able to take advantage, cutting the lead to five.
JJ Quinerly was a big reason WVU was able to stay in the game in the first half; she had 15 points with a few timely buckets as Kansas State looked as though they were going to pull away.
Despite Quinerly’s effort, the Mountaineers still found themselves down 44-36 heading into halftime. The Mountaineers were happy to only be down eight after the way the Wildcats shot the ball in the first half.
West Virginia came out of halftime with a different defensive intensity. This led to many turnovers and offensive mistakes by the Wildcats. Jordan Harrison also got it going in the third quarter, scoring 11 points to bring the Mountaineers within two, by a score of 58-56, heading into the fourth.
The fourth quarter was a battle with many lead changes. With just under one minute left and the game tied 69-69, the Mountaineers put the ball into JJ Quinerly’s hands. She took her mismatch and scored a go-ahead bucket, ultimately leading to the victory for WVU.
JJ Quinerly and Jordan Harrison combined for 43 points in the win. Freshman Jordan Thomas has a huge game off the bench, scoring 11 points, including a huge three-point play to tie the game at 69. This was a team effort for the Mountaineers, who finished with four players in double-digit scoring.
West Virginia will await the winner of TCU vs. Colorado later today. A win tomorrow would send the Mountaineers to the Big 12 tournament championship.
