Box Score AUSTIN, Texas –
The West Virginia University women's basketball team (16-9, 7-7 Big 12) fell to Texas, 74-48, inside the Moody Center in Austin on Sunday afternoon.
Sophomore guard
JJ Quinerly led WVU's scoring efforts for the 12th time this season, recording 16 points and a team-leading two assists.
Madisen Smith also hit double-figures, scoring 12 points while
Jayla Hemingway finished with seven rebounds and nine points.
As a team, WVU shot just 26.8% (15-of-56) from the floor, including 28.6% (6-of-21) from 3-point range. The Longhorns shot 24-of-59 (40.7%) from the floor and 5-of-9 (55.6%) from beyond the arc. Texas took advantage of the paint, outscoring WVU 32-16 from the high percentage area.
West Virginia struggled to find their rhythm early, with Texas jumping out to a 17-2 lead over the opening five minutes. WVU outscored Texas 10-4 to the 1:22 mark, cutting their deficit to nine points, but trailed 25-14 after the opening 10 minutes.
Texas opened the scoring in the second, but six straight points from the Mountaineers cut the Texas lead down to the fewest of the game at 27-20. After an efficient opening quarter for the Longhorns, West Virginia's defense limited UT to 2-of-14 (14.3%) from the floor and just nine points. Texas took an 11-point, 34-23, lead into halftime.
The Longhorns outscored the Mountaineers 25-15 in the third frame, on a 9-of-12 shooting. Quinerly and Smith combined to score 12 of West Virginia's points in the quarter but trailed 59-38 at the break. West Virginia was outpaced 15-10 across the final ten as they fell 70-44.
Also of note, Smith made her 131st career start, moving into a tie for second in program history with Linda Stepney (2012-15).
With the result, West Virginia moves to 10-17 all-time against Texas, including 2-9 in games played in Austin.
West Virginia now heads to Texas Tech for its second straight road opponent on its Texas swing. The Mountaineers' travel to Lubbock, with a matchup against Texas Tech on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Tipoff is set for 8 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.
