Box Score MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women's basketball team (16-8, 7-6 Big 12) defeated Kansas, 62-60, inside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown on Wednesday night in a game that came down to the final possession.
 
Three Mountaineers scored in double-figures as fifth-year senior guard Madisen Smith led the way finishing with 17 points, seven assists and two steals. Redshirt sophomore guard Kyah Watson recorded 14 points, five assists and six boards as redshirt sophomore forward Isis Beh chipped in with 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
 
As a team, WVU shot 38.3% (23-of-60) from the floor, including 44.0% (11-of-25) from 3-point range. The Jayhawks shot 23-of-54 (42.6%) from the floor and 5-of-16 (31.3%) from beyond the arc. West Virginia's bench outscored Kansas 22-0 while adding a 22-16 points from turnovers advantage. KU controlled the paint, outscoring WVU 32-20.
 
Kansas opened the contest in a 7-0 run, forcing a quick timeout from the Mountaineers. Out of the break, Watson and Smith knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to pull within one. The Jayhawks pushed their lead to 12-6 at the halfway point of the quarter but failed to connect again from the floor over the final 4:44. WVU outscored Kansas 11-2, closing out the opening quarter with a 17-14 lead. The Mountaineers were 5-of-9 from three, led by Watson and Smith who both knocked down two attempts.
 
West Virginia and Kansas traded baskets early in the second quarter to a 23-20 WVU lead. A 7-0 Mountaineer run pushed their lead to their largest of the half at 30-20 with just over four minutes to play. The Jayhawks pulled back within four points, but Beh's first career 3-pointer off Smith's 500th career assist at the horn gave WVU a 36-29 lead at halftime.
 
The third quarter saw the Mountaineers maintaining their lead early, to a 42-35 advantage at the media timeout. Kansas cut the WVU lead to three points with under a minute to play, but a sophomore guard JJ Quinerly step-back jumper and a Smith buzzer-beater 3 pushed West Virginia's lead to 50-43.
 
Kansas battled back in the fourth quarter, cutting the WVU lead down to two points at 62-60 with nine seconds to play. A WVU turnover gave possession back to the Jayhawks, who found their way to the rim as a Taiyanna Jackson layup narrowly missed, allowing Watson to secure the rebound and the West Virginia win. The miss was Jackson's only of the night as she finished 9-of-10 from the floor.
 
In addition to Smith's 500th career assist, she also broke the 400 career field goals made and 300 career rebounds mark. Beh's 13 points and seven rebounds were both career highs.  
 
With the win, West Virginia moves to 17-7 all-time against Kansas, including 9-3 in games played at the WVU Coliseum.
 
West Virginia now heads to Texas for its third two-game road trip of the conference season. The Mountaineers' road swing begins in Austin, with a matchup against Texas on Sunday, Feb. 19. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU and the Mountaineer Sports Network, including 100.9 WZST-FM.