Mountaineers Win Thriller at Texas Tech

Wednesday, February 13

Lubbock, TX

7:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

17-6, 8-4

Texas Tech

11-13, 2-11

West Virginia

Texas Tech

Photo by: Katie MacCrory

February 13, 2019 09:37 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

By: Ashley Bailey

LUBBOCK, Texas — Freshman guard Madisen Smith led four players in double-digit scoring as the West Virginia University women's basketball team picked up a thrilling 75-72 over Texas Tech at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas, on Wednesday evening.

Smith put on a 20-point performance once again, leading the Mountaineers with 20 points. Senior forward Naomi Davenport had 18 points, just missing a double-double with a team-best eight rebounds. Redshirt junior guard Tynice Martin had 16, while sophomore Nia Staples had 11.

Smith, the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Week, also came away with a team-high five steals as WVU moved to 17-6 on the season and 8-4 in Big 12 play.

West Virginia shot 44.8 percent from the field in the win, hitting eight 3-pointers and 15-of-18 at the free-throw line. The Mountaineer bench outscored the Lady Raider reserves 21-10, though TTU scored 33 points off turnovers to WVU's 19.

A 3-pointer by Martin got things started for the Mountaineers, and a layup from Davenport kept them ahead 5-2. Smith then made the layup and drew the foul, tying the game at 8-8 with 6:08 to play in the first. Davenport added a pair at the charity stripe, followed by a jumper before Martin drained a 3-pointer for a 15-10 WVU advantage midway through the frame.

Eight of the next 12 points came at the free-throw line, as the Lady Raiders made three trips and Martin made one. TTU used a three-point play to take a one-point lead before Smith hit the free-throw line, then used a layup on the fast break to make it a 22-19 lead for WVU. Martin hit the free-throw line once more, picking up a pair to stretch the advantage to 24-19 at the end of the first.

Staples came through six points in the second quarter, hitting a pair of shots from the field and two at the line to put WVU on top by 10 at 32-22 with under six to play in the half. She added another jumper before freshman forward Jala Jordan made a layup, forcing TTU into a timeout as WVU took a 36-24 lead.

Tech came through with a layup out of the stoppage, but Staples countered with a 3-pointer to put the WVU lead a 13. However, the Lady Raiders closed out the quarter with a 9-0 run, cutting the Mountaineer advantage to four at 39-35 at the half.

It was again a Martin 3-pointer that opened the scoring in the third. After back-to-back buckets from the Lady Raiders, Smith hit a jumper then traded 3-pointers with TTU's Chrislyn Carr. Smith followed up with a layup for a 49-43 WVU lead with six to go in the frame.

The Lady Raiders scored eight of the next nine points, taking a 51-50 lead as WVU used a timeout. Freshman forward Kari Niblack hit the free-throw line for a pair, putting the score back in the Mountaineers' favor at 52-51 with 3:13 to play in the third.

After a TTU bucket, Niblack struck back with a jumper. However, back-to-back 3-pointers from the Lady Raiders put WVU in a five-point hole, trailing 59-54 at the end of three.

Tech hit a 3-pointer to start the fourth, but Davenport and Smith each added one as well to bring West Virginia within two, trailing 62-60 less than 30 minutes into the action. A steal by junior guard Lucky Rudd led to a fast-break layup by Smith, tying the game at 62-62 before a trey by Davenport tied it again at 65-65 midway through the fourth.

The two teams went two minutes without a bucket before both senior center Theresa Ekhelar and Niblack fouled out. A pair of trips to the foul line put Tech on top 69-65 with just over three to play.

Freshman forward Jala Jordan came off the bench for a pair of jumpers, bringing WVU within three, trailing 72-69 with two to play. A wide-open Davenport made it a one-point lead off the layup from Smith at 72-71 with just under 90 seconds to go. Davenport followed with a jumper with 11 seconds remaining, making it a 73-72 lead. The Lady Raiders fouled, sending Martin to the free-throw line for a pair with less than 10 seconds to play. A last-second three by Tech was short, giving WVU the 75-72 victory.

Sydney Goodsen and Chrislyn Carr each had 15 points as four players scored in double digits for Texas Tech (11-13, 2-11). The Lady Raiders shot 40.7 percent from the field, and the two teams tied with 35 rebounds each.

West Virginia returns home to welcome TCU to Morgantown on Saturday. The Mountaineers annual Pink Game will tip at 2 p.m. inside the WVU Coliseum and is set to air on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh and FS1.