LAWRENCE, Kan. (Dec. 30, 2023) – The No. 25-ranked West Virginia University women’s basketball team (12-0, 1-0 Big 12) defeated Kansas, 85-60, inside Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence on Saturday afternoon. The win is the first for head coach Mark Kellogg in the Big 12 Conference.
The Mountaineers controlled play in the game, outrebounding the Jayhawks 34-28, and made use of a 44-36 advantage in the paint. Redshirt junior guard Kyah Watson spearheaded the effort on the glass with 11 rebounds as fifth-year senior and junior Tirzah Moore each collected five.
Sophomore guard Jordan Harrison, playing in her first Big 12 conference game, recorded a WVU career-high 21 points. Watson finished with 11 points to collect her second double-double this season. Junior guard JJ Quinerly finished with 13 points as Moore chipped in with 10.
As a team, WVU shot 54.2% (32-of-59) from the floor, including 50% (9-of-18) from 3-point range. It marks the third and fifth time this season WVU has shot over 50% from beyond the arc and the field, respectively. The Jayhawks shot 23-of-53 (24.4%) from the floor and 15-of-13 (38.5%) from beyond the arc.
WVU also led in points from turnovers (21-14) and second-chance points (14-6). The Mountaineers forced Kansas into 21 turnovers, marking the 11th time this season they have reached the mark.
Senior forward Kylee Blacksten and Watson each knocked down 3’s over the opening five minutes, but Kansas attacked the paint, jumping out to a 9-6 lead at the first media. WVU chipped away, trailing 12-11 with just over a minute to play, when a Jayla Hemingway three pushed WVU into the lead at 14-12. WVU never trailed in the contest again.
The Mountaineers maintained its two-point lead over the first three minutes of the second quarter. A Quinerly three and five straight points for Harrison pushed the WVU lead to eight, at 28-20, approaching the five-minute mark. The Jayhawks pulled back within five points before WVU outscored KU 10-2 over the final four minutes to a 38-25 lead at halftime.
Harrison paced all scorers in the half, dropping all 11 of her points during the second frame. WVU knocked down seven 3’s over the 20 minutes and limited the Jayhawks to a 0-of-3 mark from beyond the arc.
West Virginia extended its lead out of the break to 16 points at 6:40 off a Blacksten layup. The Jayhawks outscored WVU 8-2 into the media timeout, to trail the Mountaineers 52-42. The Mountaineers held KU scoreless, 0-of-4 from the field, over the final three minutes of the quarter. The effort gave WVU a 62-44 lead entering the final frame.
The fourth quarter was all WVU, as the Mountaineers extended their lead to as many as 26 points. The win is the 13th straight for WVU and marks the fourth-best start in program history.
With the win, West Virginia moves to 18-7 all-time against Kansas, including 9-4 in games played in Lawrence.
Also of note, the 25-point victory is the largest margin that WVU has used to beat the Jayhawks.
West Virginia returns home for their first of two straight conference matchups of the season at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers’ play against Cincinnati on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on Big12Now on ESPN+ and the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 WZST-FM.
The Mountaineers controlled play in the game, outrebounding the Jayhawks 34-28, and made use of a 44-36 advantage in the paint. Redshirt junior guard Kyah Watson spearheaded the effort on the glass with 11 rebounds as fifth-year senior and junior Tirzah Moore each collected five.
Sophomore guard Jordan Harrison, playing in her first Big 12 conference game, recorded a WVU career-high 21 points. Watson finished with 11 points to collect her second double-double this season. Junior guard JJ Quinerly finished with 13 points as Moore chipped in with 10.
As a team, WVU shot 54.2% (32-of-59) from the floor, including 50% (9-of-18) from 3-point range. It marks the third and fifth time this season WVU has shot over 50% from beyond the arc and the field, respectively. The Jayhawks shot 23-of-53 (24.4%) from the floor and 15-of-13 (38.5%) from beyond the arc.
WVU also led in points from turnovers (21-14) and second-chance points (14-6). The Mountaineers forced Kansas into 21 turnovers, marking the 11th time this season they have reached the mark.
Senior forward Kylee Blacksten and Watson each knocked down 3’s over the opening five minutes, but Kansas attacked the paint, jumping out to a 9-6 lead at the first media. WVU chipped away, trailing 12-11 with just over a minute to play, when a Jayla Hemingway three pushed WVU into the lead at 14-12. WVU never trailed in the contest again.
The Mountaineers maintained its two-point lead over the first three minutes of the second quarter. A Quinerly three and five straight points for Harrison pushed the WVU lead to eight, at 28-20, approaching the five-minute mark. The Jayhawks pulled back within five points before WVU outscored KU 10-2 over the final four minutes to a 38-25 lead at halftime.
Harrison paced all scorers in the half, dropping all 11 of her points during the second frame. WVU knocked down seven 3’s over the 20 minutes and limited the Jayhawks to a 0-of-3 mark from beyond the arc.
West Virginia extended its lead out of the break to 16 points at 6:40 off a Blacksten layup. The Jayhawks outscored WVU 8-2 into the media timeout, to trail the Mountaineers 52-42. The Mountaineers held KU scoreless, 0-of-4 from the field, over the final three minutes of the quarter. The effort gave WVU a 62-44 lead entering the final frame.
The fourth quarter was all WVU, as the Mountaineers extended their lead to as many as 26 points. The win is the 13th straight for WVU and marks the fourth-best start in program history.
With the win, West Virginia moves to 18-7 all-time against Kansas, including 9-4 in games played in Lawrence.
Also of note, the 25-point victory is the largest margin that WVU has used to beat the Jayhawks.
West Virginia returns home for their first of two straight conference matchups of the season at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers’ play against Cincinnati on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on Big12Now on ESPN+ and the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 WZST-FM.
