Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women's basketball team picked up its fifth victory of the season on Tuesday evening, as the Mountaineers defeated Charlotte, 65-54, at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown.
 
Despite leading for nearly 33 minutes in the contest, West Virginia (5-2, 0-0 Big 12) had to fend off a Charlotte team that was in attack mode from start to finish. WVU outshot the 49ers by 2.3%, and the defense forced 21 turnovers, including 12 steals, and cashed in 17 points off those chances. In all, the Mountaineers outscored the Niners in three of four quarters to get the win.
 
Junior guard KK Deans led the team with 20 points for the second consecutive game and has now led the Mountaineers in scoring in four of their last five games. Additionally, senior guard Madisen Smith finished in double figures for the first time this season and tallied 11 points. Junior forward Esmery Martinez paced West Virginia on the glass with eight rebounds.
 
"We have to get some things corrected," WVU coach Mike Carey said. "Even though we weren't playing well, we gutted out and got the win."
 
After WVU handled the opening tip, senior forward Kari Niblack got the Mountaineers on the board first with a pair of free throws, but the next five points belonged to Charlotte, as it took the lead. West Virginia kept the game close however, as six different players yielded 12 points for the Mountaineers to begin the game. A layup by fifth-year center Blessing Ejiofor helped WVU reclaim the lead with 2:19 left in the quarter. Three points by freshman guard JJ Quinerly closed out the frame, as West Virginia led Charlotte, 15-13, heading to the second quarter.
 
Charlotte scored first in the second to knot the game up at 15-15, but the Mountaineers ripped off a 7-0 run that helped them take a 22-15 lead. Shortly after, Deans netted back-to-back 3's, which forced the 49ers to call timeout. WVU led by 11 with 6:08 to go in the half.
 
Coming out of the break, West Virginia saw Charlotte get back on track, as the Niners finished the half on a 12-3 run. Nevertheless, the Mountaineers held a 31-29 lead at halftime.
 
WVU opened the second half on a 6-0 scoring stretch that helped it take an eight-point lead in the game. Despite a few scores from the 49ers, the Mountaineers went on to boost their advantage to 10 points with 3:43 remaining in the quarter. Charlotte kept pressing the attack though and made it a 45-39 game heading into the final 10 minutes of the contest.
 
Following three points by the 49ers, it was a 45-42 game in favor of the Mountaineers to begin the fourth quarter, as WVU looked to string together another run. After four makes at the line and six more points between Deans and Martinez, West Virginia led by 11 with 3:48 remaining in the game. The Niners netted five points to cut it back to single digits with less than a minute to go, but the Mountaineers sank five free throws over the final 53 seconds to seal the win and move to 5-2 on the year.
 
WVU finished the game shooting 21-of-48 (43.8%) from the field, including 5-of-7 (57.1%) from 3-point range. The Mountaineers outrebounded the 49ers, 39-21, and assisted on 14 of their 21 made field goals.
 
Next up, West Virginia heads to Harrisonburg, Virginia, on Sunday, Dec. 12, as the Mountaineers prepare to do battle with James Madison. Sunday's contest against the Dukes is set for 2 p.m. ET, from Atlantic Bank Union Center in Harrisonburg.