Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women's basketball team defeated USC Upstate, 81-31, on Thursday evening inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, to secure the first victory of first-year coach Dawn Plitzuweit's tenure.
 
West Virginia led by as many as 55 points against USC Upstate and never trailed in the contest. Defensively, the Mountaineers forced 41 turnovers, the most in a game since Nov. 20, 2011, against North Carolina Central (42), and converted 48 points off those chances. Thursday's game marked the fifth time in program history in which WVU has turned its opponents over 40 or more times.
 
The Mountaineers also tallied 20 steals in the game, and five players finished the game with multiple steals.
 
Moreover, the 31 points by the Spartans marked the fourth time West Virginia has held its opposition to 31 points or less since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2012-13
 
"First of all, I thought our crowd was really incredible tonight, and that was really a great way to start things off," Plitzuweit said. "I really appreciate our veterans and military personnel who were here tonight. We certainly appreciate the (Mountaineer) Maniacs who came out. That was a great student crowd. I was actually laughing at some point in time about the things they were saying. I thought that was really great and gave us a lot of energy. The band, our cheer team and dance team and our fans just created a lot of energy for our young ladies. And our young ladies did a great job of taking that energy and playing really hard.
 
The Mountaineers unveiled a special edition, camouflage uniform in honor of Veterans Day prior to tipoff.
 
"I also would like to thank our equipment manager, Kyle Keesler, his staff and the seamstresses who worked tirelessly to make our special camo uniforms for tonight's game," Plitzuweit added. "I thought they served as a great homage to our veterans, military personnel and all who have served in the defense of our country."
 
West Virginia's offensive attack was led by a pair of double-figure scorers, including sophomore guard JJ Quinerly, who tallied a game-high 19 points. Fifth-year senior guard Madisen Smith also chipped in 11 points. Redshirt sophomore guard Kyah Watson led WVU in the rebounding, with seven boards.
 
The Mountaineers got out in front early and opened up with a 12-2 lead, which included a 3-pointer from Smith. WVU also showed USCU how stingy its defense was early, as the Mountaineers forced six turnovers in the first five minutes of the contest. West Virginia went on to add seven more points and turn USC Upstate over seven more times before the end of the first period. WVU held a 19-4 lead after the first 10 minutes of action.
 
West Virginia's defense continued to create opportunities for its offense to open the second quarter, as the Mountaineers forced an additional seven turnovers to open the frame. WVU would cash in 10 more points and made it a 29-10 game with just over three minutes to play in the first half. Junior guard Savannah Samuel tacked on five points to close out the second quarter and helped West Virginia lead USC Upstate, 37-13, at the midway point.
 
WVU pressed its attack to begin the third quarter by rattling off a 12-0 run, which extended its lead to 36 points with 7:07 to go in the period. USCU tried to chip away at the Mountaineer lead, but Plitzuweit's squad continued to counter and made it a 41-point game with 1:29 to play in the third. Three tallies by USC Upstate made it a 60-22 game, in favor of West Virginia, heading into the final 10 minutes of the game.
 
With the game out of reach, WVU would add 21 points to its total in the fourth quarter, while holding USCU to just nine points during that stretch, to secure its first win of the 2022-23 season.
 
Next up, West Virginia plays host to Winthrop on Thursday, Nov. 17, inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. The Mountaineers and Eagles are set to tip off at 10 a.m. ET, for West Virginia's 'Education Day' game.