WVU Women’s Basketball suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday, January 6, falling 70-49 to the No. 1o Texas Longhorns at home.
The No. 24 Mountaineers‘ size disadvantage became apparent from the moment they lost the opening tipoff. Texas outrebounded West Virginia 47-24, and the Mountaineers didn’t manage any defensive boards in the first ten minutes. It didn’t help that the Longhorns sank 80 percent of their shots in the frame, driving inside with ease while forcing West Virginia to play along the perimeter.
A lack of secondary scoring plagued the Mountaineers on a day when they made just 26.7 percent of their shots, and JJ Quinerly and Jordan Harrison accounted for 32 of the 49 points scored.
The Mountaineers entered the game forcing the third-most turnovers per game—the most of any major program—while Texas came in them just behind them at the No. 10 spot. In a battle between two of the most aggressive defenses in the NCAA, West Virginia came out ahead, forcing 24 turnovers to the Longhorns’ 13.
West Virginia Goes Ice Cold
That was one of the only areas of the game that favored the Mountaineers. West Virginia looked beyond the arc to minimize the size disparity, attempting a three-pointer on 22 of 36 shots in the first half. The rim gave the Mountaineers almost as much trouble as Texas did, as just four of those threes went in.
The Longhorns’ shooting cooled off in the second period but West Virginia couldn’t chip away at the lead, managing just nine points themselves and heading to the break trailing 37-25.
West Virginia’s shooting woes continued into the third period, when they made just 3 of 16 shots as both Quinerly and Harrison fell into foul trouble. Texas began to pour it on from there, pushing the lead to 20.
The Mountaineers started to find success at close range as the frame went on, but they didn’t have enough time to make up the ground they’d lost.
WVU Women’s Basketball moves to 13-1 on the season. They’ll attempt to get back in the win column at Iowa State at 7:30 p.m. EST on January 10.
Postgame Reaction
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