WVU women get past K-State in Big 12 quarterfinals
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MORGANTOWN -- Overcome by an avalanche of early Kansas State baskets, No. 16 West Virginia's gritty women's basketball team dug itself out of a 12-point hole and rallied behind Jordan Harrison and JJ Quinerly to pull out a heart-stopping 73-69 victory over No. 20 Kansas State to advance to the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.
The Wildcats scored 33 first-quarter points to match the tournament record for points in a quarter while hitting 13 of 15 shots, a ridiculous 86.7%, but could manage just 36 points over the next three quarters against the Mountaineers' pressure defense.
"I think we thought it was going to be a battle," WVU coach Mark Kellogg said. "We needed that. We want to continue to be battle-tested. When things didn't go our way, I was the most proud early that we weathered the storm. And we talked about that because that was a storm they came out with and we couldn't get the game slowed down."
Quinerly kept WVU in the game through a first half in which she scored 15 of her game-high 24 points and then turned the point production over to her undersized backcourt teammate Harrison.
At just 5-foot, 4-inches, Harrison had staggered through the first half with just two points and three personal fouls, but came to life in the second half to score 17 points to finish with 19 for the game.
"I've been short all my life, so I just do what I'm comfortable with, and that's just getting to the hole, making 3's and doing what I'm comfortable with," Harrison said. "I didn't want them to get me off my game, especially with three fouls."
She did not commit a fourth foul in the game while continuing to play hard defense.
"Honestly, I was just thinking of my team, like they need me. My team is always there for me, so I knew I had to step up then," Harrison said.
The two Mountaineer stars got point support from Sydney Shaw, who finished with 13 points, including two free throws at the end that made it a two-possession game in the final 11 seconds, and from freshman center Jordan Thomas, who was a force inside and off the boards with 11 points and 6 rebounds, all off the offensive boards.
"After the first quarter when we gave up 33 points, I think they only scored 36 from that point on. And we let our defense come through, which is what we have done all year," Coach Mark Kellogg said.
"And to the kids' credit, JJ got us going offensively, as she's been in that little zone here lately, and Jordan had to battle that foul trouble, but really proud of her. Shaw made some big free throws. Jordan Thomas is a freshman that keeps getting better."
Kennedy Taylor was the only Wildcat that WVU could not turn off after the first quarter as she finished with 21 points while going a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor.
"We're stupid athletic, stupid fast and we just tried to use that to our advantage. We knew our defense was going to be important in this game so we locked in and did what we had to do in the second half," Harrison said.
The defense was so strong that after scoring 13 first quarter field goals, Kansas State had just 14 over the final three quarters while the Mountaineers chipped away at the lead.
They finally got into the lead at 54-53 for the first time in the game since it was 5-3 when Harrison scored on a baseline drive and built the lead to 66-60 with 4:13 left before the Wildcats came scratching back and regained the lead at 69-67 on a basket by Taylor.
But WVU would tie the game at 69-69 when Thomas grabbed off her final offensive rebound and put it back in with 1:18 to play.
Whatever would happen from this point on would decide who would advance and Quinerly, the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, stepped in and stole the inbounds pass then scored on a floater in the lane to make it 71-69.
"I think my defense is a lot of just kind of knowing where balls are going, maybe baiting people to do things they may not want to do. My teammates help me a lot with that, I think we have a great defensive team so when everybody is clicking it kind of makes it a lot easier for me," Quinerly said.
With 26 seconds left the Mountaineers had what could have been a fatal defensive breakdown as Temira Poindexter, who already had hit three 3's in the game, was left wide open for a look at a 3-pointer with 16 seconds to play.
Had it gone in, it would have put Kansas State in front but it clanked off the iron and WVU came away with it, Shaw being fouled and putting the game away with a couple of clutch, pressure free throws.
"We all stayed together. I think that's a big part of us. We're going to stay together no matter what, and we somehow came out with that win," Quinerly said.