MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Feb. 17, 2025) – The No. 17-ranked West Virginia University women's basketball collected a signature win over No. 12 Kansas State, 70-57, on Monday inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown.
It is the Mountaineers' second win this season over an AP-ranked opponent and marks the fourth in two seasons for Hayhurst Family Head Coach Mark Kellogg. The win is the first over an AP top 15 team since 2019 and the first at home since the 2014 season.
The Mountaineers limited one of the top offensive teams in the country, a KSU team that came into the game averaging 81.3 points per game, well below its season average. The Wildcats we also averaging 21 assists per game and were limited to just 12 while shooting 15% lower than its season average from beyond the arc with just five made three-pointers.
West Virginia’s defensive effort kept the Wildcats off balance, forcing KSU into 21 turnovers. The effort led to 27 points for the Mountaineers as WVU took ownership of the paint, outscoring Kansas State 40-28 from the high percentage area.
Senior guard JJ Quinerly scored a game-high 26 points in the contest. It marks the 11th time this season she has reached the 20-point mark as she added five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Junior guard Jordan Harrison also finished in double-figures with 18 points as she added four assists.
Senior guard Kyah Watson corralled a career-high 15 rebounds to account for nearly half of WVU’s 34 boards in the game. She added four steals and four assists. Freshman Jordan Thomas was the third and final Mountaineer in double-figures with 11 points.
Kansas State jumped out to a 9-5 lead over the opening three minutes before a 12-2 Mountaineer run saw WVU take a six-point lead at the four-minute mark. The Wildcats scored seven straight points to regain the lead before a Jordan Thomas layup in the final minute leveled the score at 19. Harrison and Quinerly each scored seven points in the opening frame.
West Virginia pounded the paint to open the second as Thomas scored five straight Mountaineer points to a 24-23 advantage. A Sydney Woodley steal and score pushed the WVU lead to three points, but KSU knocked down a corner three once again level the score at the media. An 8-1 run by WVU out of the break pushed the Mountaineers to its largest lead of the half at 34-27 before taking a 36-30 lead at halftime.
Quinerly found her stroke from three out of the break, knocking down her first two three-point attempts to push the WVU lead to nine points at 44-35. By the midway point of the quarter, WVU increased its advantage to 10 points, a lead they held the rest of the way to lead 55-45 entering the fourth.
West Virginia pushed its lead out to as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter before ultimately claiming the team's 21st win by double digits this season.
With the win, the Mountaineers move to a perfect 15-0 on the season and run its home win streak to 16 straight contests. The mark is the most consecutive wins at home in program history.
West Virginia is now 19-9 all-time against KSU, including a 9-3 mark when playing inside the WVU Coliseum.
West Virginia plays in its second AP-ranked and nationally televised game of the week on Sunday, Feb. 23, when they battle with TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. The contest is set to tipoff at Noon ET on ESPN2.
It is the Mountaineers' second win this season over an AP-ranked opponent and marks the fourth in two seasons for Hayhurst Family Head Coach Mark Kellogg. The win is the first over an AP top 15 team since 2019 and the first at home since the 2014 season.
The Mountaineers limited one of the top offensive teams in the country, a KSU team that came into the game averaging 81.3 points per game, well below its season average. The Wildcats we also averaging 21 assists per game and were limited to just 12 while shooting 15% lower than its season average from beyond the arc with just five made three-pointers.
West Virginia’s defensive effort kept the Wildcats off balance, forcing KSU into 21 turnovers. The effort led to 27 points for the Mountaineers as WVU took ownership of the paint, outscoring Kansas State 40-28 from the high percentage area.
Senior guard JJ Quinerly scored a game-high 26 points in the contest. It marks the 11th time this season she has reached the 20-point mark as she added five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Junior guard Jordan Harrison also finished in double-figures with 18 points as she added four assists.
Senior guard Kyah Watson corralled a career-high 15 rebounds to account for nearly half of WVU’s 34 boards in the game. She added four steals and four assists. Freshman Jordan Thomas was the third and final Mountaineer in double-figures with 11 points.
Kansas State jumped out to a 9-5 lead over the opening three minutes before a 12-2 Mountaineer run saw WVU take a six-point lead at the four-minute mark. The Wildcats scored seven straight points to regain the lead before a Jordan Thomas layup in the final minute leveled the score at 19. Harrison and Quinerly each scored seven points in the opening frame.
West Virginia pounded the paint to open the second as Thomas scored five straight Mountaineer points to a 24-23 advantage. A Sydney Woodley steal and score pushed the WVU lead to three points, but KSU knocked down a corner three once again level the score at the media. An 8-1 run by WVU out of the break pushed the Mountaineers to its largest lead of the half at 34-27 before taking a 36-30 lead at halftime.
Quinerly found her stroke from three out of the break, knocking down her first two three-point attempts to push the WVU lead to nine points at 44-35. By the midway point of the quarter, WVU increased its advantage to 10 points, a lead they held the rest of the way to lead 55-45 entering the fourth.
West Virginia pushed its lead out to as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter before ultimately claiming the team's 21st win by double digits this season.
With the win, the Mountaineers move to a perfect 15-0 on the season and run its home win streak to 16 straight contests. The mark is the most consecutive wins at home in program history.
West Virginia is now 19-9 all-time against KSU, including a 9-3 mark when playing inside the WVU Coliseum.
West Virginia plays in its second AP-ranked and nationally televised game of the week on Sunday, Feb. 23, when they battle with TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. The contest is set to tipoff at Noon ET on ESPN2.
