Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women's basketball team (15-8, 6-6 Big 12) collected its second ranked win of the season with a hard-fought, 73-60 victory over No. 21/19 Iowa State inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown on Saturday night.
 
The Mountaineers were led by redshirt sophomore guard Kyah Watson's 11 points and career-best 12 rebounds to earn her first career double-double. Sophomore guard JJ Quinerly led WVU's scoring efforts for the third consecutive game, netting a game-high 20 points. The performance marked her fifth 20-point effort this year. Senior guard Jayla Hemingway was one point shy of a double-double, tallying 12 boards and nine points.
 
Overall, West Virginia finished the contest shooting 39.7% (23-of-58) from the field, as well as 22.7% (5-of-22) from 3-point range. The Mountaineer bench outscored the Cyclone bench, 18-4, while WVU also led ISU in points in the paint, 30-24. Iowa State finished 20-of-58 (34.5%) from the floor and 5-of-30 (16.7%) beyond the arc.
 
The Mountaineers got on the board first with a layup from Hemingway, but Iowa State answered quickly to tie things up. From there, the two teams traded baskets back and forth as the lead changed hands four times before the end of the first quarter. WVU claimed a slight, 18-15 advantage at the quarter break.
 
Entering the second quarter, the game continued to stay tight, with the squads again exchanging leads throughout the frame. Each time the Cyclones looked to be taking the advantage, West Virginia's 3-point baskets saved the day, with junior forward Kylee Blacksten and fifth-year senior guard Madisen Smith hitting back-to-back triples to restore WVU's advantage mid-way through the second. In the waning minutes of the first half, Iowa State went on 6-0 run to cut into the Mountaineer lead and take a 35-34 advantage into the locker room.
 
West Virginia got its lead back right out of the gate in the third, as Quinerly connected on a short jumper at the 9:25 mark. From there, it became another back-and-forth battle in a quarter that saw five lead changes throughout the period. The score stood at 48-45 in favor of WVU with two minutes to go in the third when six straight points from Smith sparked an 8-3 Mountaineer run to give West Virginia a 56-48 lead with 10 to play.
 
In the fourth quarter, WVU worked to put away the win, with the defense holding off the Cyclone attack. A Quinerly basket pushed the Mountaineers' lead to double figures with 8:03 remaining on the clock. West Virginia didn't back down from there as it claimed the upset win, 73-60.
 
With the win, WVU moves to 13-11 all time against the Cyclones, as well as 8-3 in games played in Morgantown. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak to Iowa State. West Virginia also ended a three-game losing skid that stretched back to its last win on Jan. 28 at TCU.
 
From here, the Mountaineers continue their homestand when they welcome Kansas to Morgantown on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Tipoff inside the WVU Coliseum is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 WZST-FM.