PROVO, Utah (Feb. 3, 2024) – The No. 23-ranked West Virginia University women's basketball team survived a late BYU surge to defeat the Cougars, 76-69, inside the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Saturday. The win marks the sixth straight in conference play.
The Mountaineers led by 18 points in the game, coming in the late stages of the second quarter. BYU chipped away, trimming the WVU lead down to four points twice in the fourth quarter, but WVU managed to pull away each time to collect the win.
West Virginia (19-2, 8-2 Big 12) was led by fifth-year senior guard Lauren Fields who finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-11 from the floor. She went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and added three steals and two assists.
Junior guard JJ Quinerly collected her 20th double-digit scoring performance of the season with 19 points as the Big 12 steals leader added five takeaways and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Jordan Harrison also finished in double figures with 11 points.
Junior guard Kyah Watson filled the stat sheet for the second straight contest, scoring 10 points and added six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. All three marks led the Mountaineers.
BYU (12-11, 2-8 Big 12) was led by Lauren Gustin who finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds for a double-double.
West Virginia forced 23 Cougar turnovers in the game and converted those miscues into 27 points. WVU turned the ball over just 11 times while holding a 38-22 advantage in the paint.
The Mountaineers raced out to a 24-14 lead over the opening 10 minutes. WVU’s defense allowed the Mountaineers' offense to settle in, forcing eight BYU turnovers while scoring 13 of its points on the mistakes. WVU knocked down 11-of-16 attempts in the quarter.
BYU pulled within five points at 26-21 over the opening three minutes of the second frame. The Mountaineers used a 12-0 run to pull ahead 38-21 at the media timeout. West Virginia took a 14-point lead into halftime.
Fields led the way offensively in the half scoring 13 points on a 5-of-7 mark from the field.
The Mountaineers struggled in the third, going just 2-of-10 from the floor over the opening minutes as the Cougars continued chipping away at the WVU lead. BYU trimmed the WVU lead down to five points at the four-minute mark, to a 49-44 West Virginia advantage. Fields knocked down a buzzer-beater, second chance three, off a Danelle Arigbabu tip out rebound to give WVU a 58-50 lead entering the fourth.
BYU pulled within four points at 64-60 during the opening three minutes of the final frame. Quinerly knocked down two free throws before a Harrison steal and score extended the WVU lead to eight points with six minutes to play.
West Virginia held BYU 0-of-7 from the floor over five minutes to have just 40 seconds to play in the game. The Cougars scored five quick points before a pair of free throws from Harrison with 13 seconds on the clock to put the game away.
With the result, West Virginia moves to 1-1 all-time against the Cougars.
Also of note, Quinerly recorded her 200th career steal in the game to become the 12th player in program history to reach the mark.
Next up, West Virginia is back at home for a matchup against Texas Tech on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. ET inside the WVU Coliseum. The contest will be broadcast on Big12 Now on ESPN+ and the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 FM.
The Mountaineers led by 18 points in the game, coming in the late stages of the second quarter. BYU chipped away, trimming the WVU lead down to four points twice in the fourth quarter, but WVU managed to pull away each time to collect the win.
West Virginia (19-2, 8-2 Big 12) was led by fifth-year senior guard Lauren Fields who finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-11 from the floor. She went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and added three steals and two assists.
Junior guard JJ Quinerly collected her 20th double-digit scoring performance of the season with 19 points as the Big 12 steals leader added five takeaways and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Jordan Harrison also finished in double figures with 11 points.
Junior guard Kyah Watson filled the stat sheet for the second straight contest, scoring 10 points and added six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. All three marks led the Mountaineers.
BYU (12-11, 2-8 Big 12) was led by Lauren Gustin who finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds for a double-double.
West Virginia forced 23 Cougar turnovers in the game and converted those miscues into 27 points. WVU turned the ball over just 11 times while holding a 38-22 advantage in the paint.
The Mountaineers raced out to a 24-14 lead over the opening 10 minutes. WVU’s defense allowed the Mountaineers' offense to settle in, forcing eight BYU turnovers while scoring 13 of its points on the mistakes. WVU knocked down 11-of-16 attempts in the quarter.
BYU pulled within five points at 26-21 over the opening three minutes of the second frame. The Mountaineers used a 12-0 run to pull ahead 38-21 at the media timeout. West Virginia took a 14-point lead into halftime.
Fields led the way offensively in the half scoring 13 points on a 5-of-7 mark from the field.
The Mountaineers struggled in the third, going just 2-of-10 from the floor over the opening minutes as the Cougars continued chipping away at the WVU lead. BYU trimmed the WVU lead down to five points at the four-minute mark, to a 49-44 West Virginia advantage. Fields knocked down a buzzer-beater, second chance three, off a Danelle Arigbabu tip out rebound to give WVU a 58-50 lead entering the fourth.
BYU pulled within four points at 64-60 during the opening three minutes of the final frame. Quinerly knocked down two free throws before a Harrison steal and score extended the WVU lead to eight points with six minutes to play.
West Virginia held BYU 0-of-7 from the floor over five minutes to have just 40 seconds to play in the game. The Cougars scored five quick points before a pair of free throws from Harrison with 13 seconds on the clock to put the game away.
With the result, West Virginia moves to 1-1 all-time against the Cougars.
Also of note, Quinerly recorded her 200th career steal in the game to become the 12th player in program history to reach the mark.
Next up, West Virginia is back at home for a matchup against Texas Tech on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. ET inside the WVU Coliseum. The contest will be broadcast on Big12 Now on ESPN+ and the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 FM.
