WEST VIRGINIA (LOOTPRESS) – The No. 16 West Virginia women’s basketball team secured its third ranked victory of the season with a 73-69 win over No. 20 Kansas State on Friday in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship Quarterfinals at the T-Mobile Center.
The Mountaineers overcame a slow start, giving up 33 points in the first quarter before tightening up defensively and holding the Wildcats to just 36 points over the final three quarters.
Kansas State led by as many as 12 points in the second quarter and carried a 41-33 advantage into halftime.
West Virginia battled back in the third quarter, led by junior guard Jordan Harrison, who scored 11 points in the frame. Harrison’s driving layup with 1:10 left gave WVU a 54-53 lead—its first since early in the game.
However, Kansas State hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to reclaim a two-point edge entering the final quarter.
Harrison continued her strong play in the fourth, scoring six straight points to open the period.
Freshman Jordan Thomas added a pair of three-pointers, helping WVU build a six-point lead midway through the quarter. Kansas State responded with a 7-1 run to regain the lead in the final two minutes.
Thomas tied the game at 69 before senior guard JJ Quinerly hit a go-ahead runner with 45 seconds remaining. Junior guard Sydney Shaw sealed the win with two free throws in the closing seconds.
Quinerly and Harrison led the way for the Mountaineers, combining for 43 points while shooting 55% from the floor.
Quinerly finished with a game-high 24 points, marking her third consecutive 20-point performance, while Harrison added 19.
Shaw contributed 13 points, and Thomas scored 11.
Senior guard Kyah Watson led WVU with seven rebounds, while Thomas grabbed six offensive boards.
With the victory, West Virginia advances to the Big 12 Championship Semifinals for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2021.
The Mountaineers, now 13-10 all-time in the conference tournament, will face No. 1 seed TCU on Saturday, March 8, at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
