Mountaineers Grab Road Win at TTU

Wednesday, March 4

Lubbock, Texas

9:00 p.m.

West Virginia University

17-11,7-10Big 12

Texas Tech

17-11,6-11Big 12

West Virginia

Texas Tech

Photo by: Katie MacCrory

March 04, 2020 11:27 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats Big 12 Stats

By: Olivia VanHorn

LUBBOCK, Texas – The West Virginia University women's basketball team (17-11, 7-10 Big 12) earned a hard-fought road victory over Texas Tech, 71-69, at United Supermarkets Arena, in Lubbock on Wednesday night.

A trio of Mountaineers scored in double figures in the win, as redshirt junior guard Kysre Gondrezick led the way with 19 points, followed by redshirt senior guard Tynice Martin with 16 and sophomore forward Kari Niblack with 12. Freshman forward Esmery Martinez dominated the glass, hauling in a career-high 16 rebounds in the contest.

The Mountaineers wasted no time getting on the board with a pair of scores from Niblack, but Texas Tech tied the game with a basket in the paint and a couple of free throws. The Lady Raiders then took the lead with a 3-pointer and a jumper in the lane. Sophomore guard Madisen Smith cut into the deficit with a triple of her own, but TTU then scored four more points, forcing West Virginia to call a timeout.

Gondrezick converted a second-chance layup following the break, but Texas Tech fired back with two scores to take an eight-point lead. West Virginia then scored on back-to-back possessions to cut the lead to four points. Gondrezick sank a 3-pointer with 1:30 remaining in the quarter, but a pair of Lady Raider scores made it a 21-16 game at the end of the first quarter.

West Virginia began the second quarter with back-to-back scores from freshman guard Kirsten Deans and Smith. Texas Tech countered with a basket in the paint to retake the lead. The Mountaineers then rattled off a 6-0 run, which included a pair of scores from freshman forward Esmery Martinez, to take a four-point lead and force the Lady Raiders to call a timeout with 4:36 remaining in the half.

Texas Tech scored following the media break to cut the Mountaineer lead to two points, but WVU stretched its advantage out to seven points with a 3-pointer from Smith and another score from Martinez. TTU scored in the final second of the half, as West Virginia led 32-27 at halftime.

WVU opened the second half with a score from Martin, but remained quiet through the first several minutes of the quarter. The Lady Raiders added eight points to take a one-point lead at the 6:16 mark, forcing West Virginia to call a timeout with 7:48 remaining in the quarter.

The Lady Raiders extended their lead to three points after the timeout. West Virginia stormed back with scores from Martin, Niblack and Gondrezick to tie the game, as TTU added a score and a free throw. The game was knotted up, 40-40, at the third-quarter media timeout.

West Virginia went on an 8-2 run following the media timeout to take a six-point lead over Texas Tech. The two teams traded scores over the final minute of the frame, as the Mountaineers led 51-47 heading to the final quarter of play.

The Mountaineers and Lady Raiders kept the game tight through the fourth, as the two teams continued to trade buckets back and forth down the stretch. A pair of baskets by TTU were countered by a layup from redshirt freshman center Rochelle Norris and a jumper from Niblack. Texas Tech then tacked on two more to tie the game. A jumper from Martin gave the Mountaineers the lead, but TTU kept it close. Through the final five minutes of play, neither team led by more than three, with WVU's largest lead coming from a Martin triple at the 3:06 mark.

Texas Tech added one at the line to come back within two, but the Mountaineers controlled the game through the final minutes, forcing TTU to send WVU to the line to stop the clock. West Virginia converted on 5-of-6 free-throw attempts to win the game, 71-69.

West Virginia closed the game shooting an even 40 percent (28-of-70) from the field, along with 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from 3-point range. The Mountaineers added 9-of-12 (75 percent) at the free-throw line, while grabbing 40 rebounds on the night. West Virginia forced 17 Lady Raider turnovers, scoring 17 points off turnovers.

In the final stats, Texas Tech shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the floor and just 27.3 percent (6-of-22) from beyond the arc. TTU also collected 40 rebounds in the contest, while tallying seven blocks and shooting 9-of-15 (60 percent) from the line.

West Virginia returns home on Saturday, March 7, as the Mountaineers host TCU for the regular-season finale. Opening tip against the Horned Frogs is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on Nexstar, with Lanny Fratare and Meg Bulger on the call. Saturday's contest is a Gold Rush and Family Day at the WVU Coliseum. The Mountaineers also will honor this year's senior class for Senior Day on Saturday during pregame.