Box Score CANCUN, Mexico – The No. 23 West Virginia University women's basketball team (5-1, 0-0 Big 12) earned a bounce-back victory on Friday afternoon, as the Mountaineers defeated New Mexico, 73-60, at the Cancun Challenge, at the Hard Rock Resort Riviera Maya in Cancun.
 
Redshirt junior guard Kysre Gondrezick led the Mountaineers in scoring, with 17 points, and posted her sixth consecutive double-figure scoring performance of the season. Freshman forward Esmery Martinez (15 points) and redshirt freshman center Rochelle Norris (10 points) also finished in double figures for WVU. Martinez also led the team with nine rebounds, while Gondrezick and sophomore guard Madisen Smith tied for the team lead in assists, with three. Martinez also led the Mountaineers with three steals.
 
Gondrezick struck first to get the Mountaineers on the board, as she sank one from behind the arc to start the game. Smith then added a layup, before redshirt senior guard Tynice Martin connected from three-point range. Martin tacked on two more with six minutes to go in the first and Gondrezick went coast-to-coast to further add to the WVU lead on a fast-break layup. Norris and redshirt junior guard Arleighshya McElroy added a trio of layups just before Martinez added six points of her own to close out the first quarter.
 
Martinez struck again to open the second quarter and Gondrezick added a layup with eight minutes left in the half. New Mexico cut the Mountaineer lead to six over the following three minutes, as the Lobos held WVU scoreless. Smith then countered with a layup to start West Virginia's scoring run in the second quarter. Gondrezick sank a three-pointer with just over four minutes to go in the half to put her in double figures and give the Mountaineers a 10-point lead. A pair of buckets by freshman guard Kirsten Deans and Norris helped WVU stretch its lead to 14, as West Virginia led New Mexico at the half 41-27.
 
New Mexico scored eight points to start the second half, but a layup by Norris and a Gondrezick jumper kept WVU in the lead by 10 three minutes into the third quarter. A fast-break layup by Deans and a three-pointer from McElroy ignited the Mountaineer offense heading into the media timeout, as WVU lead by 13 with five minutes to play in the third. Norris scored a layup to get into double figures and Gondrezick added her third three-pointer of the game to finish the third quarter. The Mountaineers held a 14-point lead heading into the final quarter of play.
 
The Lobos cut the Mountaineer lead to nine points in the opening five minutes of the fourth, but sophomore forward Kari Niblack stifled the UNM threat by adding eight points of her own to open the fourth. Martin, Gondrezick and Martinez all scored in the final quarter, as the Mountaineers secured the 73-60, bounce-back victory.
 
West Virginia finished 29-of-55 (52.7%) from the field and shot 5-of-13 (38.5%) from three-point range. WVU out-rebounded UNM, 43-24, and forced 25 turnovers. The Mountaineers also held the advantage in points in the paint (44-32), second-chance points (13-9) and bench points (26-15).
 
New Mexico shot 20-of-55 (36.4%) from the field, including 4-of-19 (21.1%) from behind the arc. Shaiquel McGruder led the Lobos in scoring (16 points) and rebounding (5).
 
Of note, Gondrezick was named to the 2019 Cancun Challenge All-Tournament Team. Over two contests in Cancun, the native of Benton Harbor, Michigan, averaged 14.5 points, 2.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals. Gondrezick also shot 6-of-13 (46.2%) from three-point range and was 5-of-6 (83.3%) from the free-throw line over the two contests.
 
West Virginia next competes on Sunday, Dec. 8, as the team travels to Starkville, Mississippi, to take on the No. 10/8 Mississippi State Bulldogs at 2 p.m. ET, at Humphrey Coliseum.