WACO, Texas (Feb. 10, 2024) – The No. 22-ranked West Virginia University women's basketball team fell on the road in a top 25 matchup against No. 18 Baylor, 65-58, on Saturday afternoon inside the Farrell Center in Waco.
The Mountaineers (20-3, 9-3 Big 12) were led by junior guard Kyah Watson who corralled a career-high 15 rebounds and 12 points. The effort marks the Rapid City, South Dakota native’s fifth career double-double.
Junior guard JJ Quinerly led the West Virginia scoring effort for the 15th time this season, finishing with 13 points after playing limited minutes due to early foul trouble. She added three steals and three assists. Sophomore guard Jordan Harrison also finished with 12 points and added four assists and four steals.
Quinerly and Harrison have now combined for 42 double-digit scoring performances this season.
West Virginia struggled to gather an offensive rhythm, shooting just 32.3% from the floor, including a 5-of-23 mark from beyond the arc. The Bears finished the game shooting 48.1% and made use of timely baskets all afternoon to halt the Mountaineers' comeback attempt.
WVU took the lead out of the gate, scoring four points over its opening three possessions on attempts from Quinerly and Watson. Baylor gained a lead until the 4:39 mark of the quarter when Harrison knocked down a step-back three to level the score at nine. Later tied at 11, Baylor closed out the frame on a 4-0 run to take a four-point lead.
West Virginia scored the first points of the second before a 9-0 Baylor run pushed the Bears lead out to 11 points at the six-minute mark. WVU and BU traded points to the 3:11 mark when a Kylee Blacksten and1 at the rim and a Lauren Fields corner 3 pulled the Mountaineers within seven. Baylor took a 34-26 lead into the locker room.
The Mountaineers trimmed their deficit down to five points out of the break. Baylor responded by extending its lead to 14 points late in the quarter, before taking a 49-38 lead into the fourth. West Virginia continued to chip away in the fourth quarter, cutting its deficit down to seven points four times.
With just under a minute to play, Harrison scored to trim the deficit to just five points, but it was as close as WVU came to taking the lead.
The Bears (18-5, 7-5 Big 12) were led by Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and Bella Fontleroy who each collected double-doubles. Buggs scored 14 points and Fontleroy added 12 as the pair both managed 10 boards.
West Virginia forced 19 Baylor turnovers in the game, marking just the second time this season the Mountaineers have failed to reach 20 in a game. With the result, West Virginia moves to 5-23 all-time against the Bears and 2-11 in games played in Waco.
Next up, West Virginia stays on the road for a 7:30 p.m. ET matchup with TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. The contest will be broadcast on Big12 Now on ESPN+ and the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 FM.
The Mountaineers (20-3, 9-3 Big 12) were led by junior guard Kyah Watson who corralled a career-high 15 rebounds and 12 points. The effort marks the Rapid City, South Dakota native’s fifth career double-double.
Junior guard JJ Quinerly led the West Virginia scoring effort for the 15th time this season, finishing with 13 points after playing limited minutes due to early foul trouble. She added three steals and three assists. Sophomore guard Jordan Harrison also finished with 12 points and added four assists and four steals.
Quinerly and Harrison have now combined for 42 double-digit scoring performances this season.
West Virginia struggled to gather an offensive rhythm, shooting just 32.3% from the floor, including a 5-of-23 mark from beyond the arc. The Bears finished the game shooting 48.1% and made use of timely baskets all afternoon to halt the Mountaineers' comeback attempt.
WVU took the lead out of the gate, scoring four points over its opening three possessions on attempts from Quinerly and Watson. Baylor gained a lead until the 4:39 mark of the quarter when Harrison knocked down a step-back three to level the score at nine. Later tied at 11, Baylor closed out the frame on a 4-0 run to take a four-point lead.
West Virginia scored the first points of the second before a 9-0 Baylor run pushed the Bears lead out to 11 points at the six-minute mark. WVU and BU traded points to the 3:11 mark when a Kylee Blacksten and1 at the rim and a Lauren Fields corner 3 pulled the Mountaineers within seven. Baylor took a 34-26 lead into the locker room.
The Mountaineers trimmed their deficit down to five points out of the break. Baylor responded by extending its lead to 14 points late in the quarter, before taking a 49-38 lead into the fourth. West Virginia continued to chip away in the fourth quarter, cutting its deficit down to seven points four times.
With just under a minute to play, Harrison scored to trim the deficit to just five points, but it was as close as WVU came to taking the lead.
The Bears (18-5, 7-5 Big 12) were led by Darianna Littlepage-Buggs and Bella Fontleroy who each collected double-doubles. Buggs scored 14 points and Fontleroy added 12 as the pair both managed 10 boards.
West Virginia forced 19 Baylor turnovers in the game, marking just the second time this season the Mountaineers have failed to reach 20 in a game. With the result, West Virginia moves to 5-23 all-time against the Bears and 2-11 in games played in Waco.
Next up, West Virginia stays on the road for a 7:30 p.m. ET matchup with TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. The contest will be broadcast on Big12 Now on ESPN+ and the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 FM.
