After a 78-59 victory over Columbia on Saturday night, WVU women’s basketball will have a tough matchup against North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
The third-seed Tarheels host the first two rounds in their home arena, likely bringing a strong home court advantage.
North Carolina has a strong mix three-point shooters and elite bigs. The Mountaineers will have their hands full with Maria Gakdeng, who leads the Tar Heels with 11.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 59.8% from the field.
“I think for us we just need to stay locked in, and we got to go out there and play our game. They do got some bigs, but we play against bigs in the Big 12 all the time, so we are still going to do what we can do regardless of their bigs,” said WVU’s JJ Quinerly when asked about the Tar Heels size.
In this round last season, the Mountaineers faced off against Caitlin Clark and Iowa at their home court in Iowa City. Although they came up just short, it has prepared them for the atmosphere they are going to face in Chapel Hill on Monday.
JJ Quinerly, who may be playing her last game, has left it all on the court when it has mattered the most for WVU. In the last four games, Quinerly has averaged 28 points per game while shooting 55.26% from the field. They will need a similar performance if they wish to move on.
“I think advancing was a big goal of mine coming into this season. Last season we came up short, so definitely this season I am looking forward to advancing. I am going to go into the game like it is my last, and I am going to play it like it is my last,” said Quinerly.
After breaking the 2,000-point threshold last game, Quinerly has cemented herself as one of the best women’s basketball players in West Virginia history.
JJ and the rest of the Mountaineers will hope to keep their tournament and season alive. The game will tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
