West Virginia stifles Utah with a dominant 75-46 win at the WVU Coliseum on Monday night, continuing its home dominance with a perfect 16-0 home record. The Mountaineers’ dominated on both sides of the floor as they never trailed once in this game.
Early dominance
West Virginia jumped out to an early 13-5 lead against the Utah Utes after one quarter. West Virginia accomplished this feat with JJ Quinerly sitting the final 5:32 seconds of the first quarter. West Virginia defense held Utah to an impressive 2-14 from the field in the first period. JJ Quinerly scored 2 points in the first period and West Virginia still managed to take control early.
Quinerly Shines for West Virginia
The star of the game was undoubtedly JJ Quinerly, who shook off a slow start, finishing with her career high 38 points on an impressive 16-of-21 shooting night from the field. Quinerly put on a show from beyond the arc, hitting 4-of-5 from three point range, while tallying 2 boards, 4 assists, and 1 steal. She was simply incredible, playing a crucial role in the dominance over the Utes.
Other Contributors from West Virginia
Kyah Watson, contributed 8 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assist, while also adding 2 steals and playing 35 minutes on the night. Sydney Shaw added 7 points and 4 assists, while playing 38 minutes.
West Virginia’s Defensive Pressure and Transition Game
West Virginia’s defensive pressure was suffocating and led to some key fast break buckets. The Mountaineers totaled 20 points in transition, by design with their defensive press and effective decision making in the open court. The Mountaineers capitalized on Utah’s mistakes, forcing 28 turnovers and scoring 35 points off of those turnovers, which was a great difference maker in the contest.
The Mountaineers dominated Utah in the points in the paint differential as well. West Virginia outscored Utah 36-20.
Utah’s Struggles in the Game
Utah (21-7, 12-5 Big 12) had a difficult time dealing with the Mountaineers’ tempo and ball pressure. The Utes struggled to shoot, shooting only 31.5% from the field, including a disappointing 21.9% from beyond the arc. Despite Mayé Touré staying on par with her season average, leading Utah with 12 points, the Utes couldn’t get anything going from anyone else. Utah star player Gianna Kneepkens was held well under her 19.4 points per game average, only tallying 9 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Kneepkens was kept below double digits for only the third time all season. Utah also struggled from the free throw line making only 62.5% of their free-throw attempts.
Quarter Breakdown
In the first quarter, West Virginia’s defense set the tone, limiting Utah to just 14.29% (2-14) shooting from the field, allowing the Mountaineers to jump out to a promising 13-5 lead. In the second quarter, this game became the JJ Quinerly show, Quinerly scored 12 of the Mountaineers 17 points.
The third quarter was more of JJ Quinerly dominance, as Quinerly netted 15 of the Mountaineers 21 points. Quinerly took over, scoring 24 points in the second half, while the Mountaineers’ defense kept the Utes at arm’s length. The 4th quarter was when the route really took place and the Mountaineers outscored the Utes 24-10 and put this game away early on in the final period.
Looking Ahead
West Virginia will wrap up its season Saturday March 1st against Cincinnati. Last time the two matched up West Virginia walked away victorious in a 69-50 triumph of the Bearcats.
