WVU women’s basketball won their first NCAA Tournament game against Columbia with a score of 78-59. After going up 24-15 in the first quarter, the Mountaineers never looked back for a 19-point victory.
Columbia was a very tough opponent for WVU. They finished the season 23-6 and won the Ivy League regular season. After a loss to Harvard in the conference championship, they were one of the last teams in the field. They then defeated Washington in the First Four to make it into the First Round of the tournament.
Junior guard Jordan Harrison matched her career-high with 23 points and six assists. She did a great job running the offense and was a key reason for West Virginia’s quick start.
“I’m pretty proud of myself. I’m glad that I stayed aggressive. Like I said earlier, I was just taking what the defense was giving me. I feel like I didn’t force too many shots, and I just kind of played with some rhythm, so I think that helped me a lot,” Harrison said.
Although the game was played in North Carolina, West Virginia fans flooded the stands and made it feel like a home game for the Mountaineers. The team was able to feed off this energy, and it played a huge role in the victory.
“Honestly, we love our fans. We’re so glad that they made the time to come down here for us. We play really well off of energy, so having them there is very important. They’re very important to us,” Harrison said after being asked about the traveling fanbase.
West Virginia fans will need to show out on Monday as the Mountaineers will face North Carolina in Chapel Hill for a chance at going to the Sweet Sixteen. The time of the game is still to be determined.
