The West Virginia women’s basketball team saw three players earn all-conference honors, with guard JJ Quinerly named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and guards Kyah Watson and Jordan Harrison joining her on the league’s all-conference team.
Last year, Quinerly became the first player in West Virginia to earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors, and has now become the first Mountaineer to repeat earning the honor. She was also a unanimous selection to the league’s defensive first team.
Quinerly joins elite company in earning the honor twice, as only three other league players have reached that milestone. The others were Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris, Baylor’s Brittney Griner and Baylor’s Lauren Cox, all of whom went on to play in the WNBA. Paris won the award three times, while Griner is the league’s only four-time winner.
JJ Quinerly Earns Third Straight All-League Honor
In addition to her recognition this year, Quinerly became the second West Virginia women’s basketball player to earn all-conference honors three separate times. She was a unanimous selection to the all-Big 12 first team as well as the defensive team, and this marked her third straight appearance on both squads. Only Bria Holmes was so honored, which happened in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Quinerly’s appearance on three straight all-defensive first teams is a first in program history.
Related: West Virginia Women’s Basketball Ranked No. 16
Quinerly is the 14th Mountaineer all-time to earn first-team honors since West Virginia joined the Big 12. She was one of four players to be a unanimous selection, joining Iowa State’s Audi Crooks, TCU’s Sedona Prince and league player of the year Hailey Van Lith of TCU. Quinerly and Prince were the only unanimous selections to the league’s all-defensive team.
Quinerly led the Mountaineers in scoring, averaging 20.1 points per game. She ranked second on the team in steals with 3.1 steals per game and was one of five West Virginia players to shoot 80% or better from the free throw line.
Watson, Harrison Muster League Honors
Kyah Watson earned honors on the Big 12’s all-defensive team, making it consecutive years that West Virginia has taken up two of the six slots on that list. Watson also earned honorable mention all-Big 12. Watson averaged 3.3 steals per game, almost a full steal better than last season.
Jordan Harrison joined Quinerly on the league’s all-conference roster, making the league’s third team. Harrison was the Mountaineers’ second-leading scorer, averaging 13.4 points per game. She led West Virginia in assists with 4.6 per game, and her 3-point percentage of 35.8% ranked second on the team.
The Mountaineers are currently off until Friday, when they will open the Big 12 tournament with a quarterfinal against either Kansas State, BYU or UCF. West Virginia won’t know its opponent until mid-day Thursday, as the fifth-seeded Wildcats will face the survivor of Wednesday’s game between the Knights and the Cougars. Should West Virginia survive its first game, the reward would likely be a showdown between the two unanimous defensive all-Big 12 selections, as the Mountaineers would be bracketed to face No. 1 TCU if the seeds hold.
