Box Score SAN JUAN, P.R. – Junior guard
JJ Quinerly scored a season-high 24 points to push the West Virginia University women's basketball team to a 54-51 win over George Washington on Thursday afternoon in their first of three contests at the Discover Puerto Rico Shootout.
George Washington (3-2) took a two-point advantage into the final media timeout at 49-47. Out of the break, Quinerly scored four points and sophomore guard
Jordan Harrison knocked down one free throw to push WVU (4-0) back in front at 52-49 with just over three minutes to play.
The Colonials pulled back within one at the two-minute mark, but the WVU defense forced GWU into a 0-of-3 mark from the floor to close out the contest. Harrison scored at the buzzer off an offensive rebound to put the game away.
The win is the fourth this season, marking the fifth straight year WVU has won its first four contests.
In a game that came down to the final possession, WVU led for nearly 29 minutes of the action as both the Mountaineers and the Colonials tied seven times and traded the lead eight times.
The Mountaineers shot just 30.6% from the floor but forced the Colonials into 25 turnovers that resulted in 23 points for WVU. West Virginia attempted 15 more shots than George Washington, 62-47, in the contest. WVU's defensive effort set a new season high of 19 steals in a game.
Quinerly narrowly missed out on a double-double as she added a team-leading nine rebounds and secured six steals.
Senior forward
Kylee Blacksten was WVU's next leading scorer with eight points as senior forward
Tavy Diggs added seven points. Harrison added six points, five rebounds and five steals.
The opening quarter was a back-and-forth affair as both teams struggled to find their rhythm. The pair combined to shoot just 9-of-25 from the floor as WVU took a 12-10 lead after 10 minutes.
George Washington pushed their way to a three-point, 16-13, advantage over the opening five minutes of the second. Quinerly then produced 9-of-11 WVU points to the 2:45 mark of the quarter. The scoring spurt gave the Mountaineers a 22-17 lead. A Blacksten jumper and two Harrison free throws gave WVU a nine-point lead before a GWU run cut the West Virginia lead to 25-20 at the break.
West Virginia built its largest lead of the contest in the third quarter at 40-30 with just over two minutes to play. Three straight WVU turnovers on its final three possessions of the quarter allowed the Colonials to trail by three entering the final 10 minutes.
Also of note, Quinerly's 10 made field goals marks the second time she has reached the mark in a game during her career.
West Virginia is back in action on Friday, Nov. 24, against Charlotte. Tipoff against the 49ers is set for 10 a.m. ET, from the Coliseo Guillermo Angulo. Friday's contest will be broadcast on FloHoops and the Mountaineer Sports Network.
Charlotte opened its time in San Juan on Thursday, with a 55-52 loss to Southern Illinois. Dazia Lawrence led the squad with 32 points, and Olivia Porter hauled in a team-high nine rebounds.
