MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — In an impressive display, JJ Quinerly scored 21 out of her impressive season-high of 31 points in the first half, leading No. 18 West Virginia to a convincing 80-58 victory over UCF on Wednesday night.

Quinerly showcased her skills early on, netting 17 points in the first quarter, which helped the Mountaineers secure a 17-10 advantage. West Virginia capitalized on the Knights’ mistakes, forcing 11 turnovers and effectively shooting 61% by hitting 11 of 18 field goals, including four from beyond the arc. Quinerly was particularly potent, converting 6 of 8 shots and contributing to a decisive 17-1 run by scoring eight points during that stretch.

The Knights struggled significantly, missing their last five attempts in the first quarter and failing to find the basket during their initial four attempts of the second. After finally scoring, they went on to miss seven consecutive shots. Meanwhile, West Virginia initiated a remarkable 14-point run, powered by Sydney Shaw, who scored eight of those points with two 3-pointers. Overall, Shaw finished the game with five 3-pointers and a total of 19 points for the Mountaineers (11-2, 1-1 Big 12 Conference). Additionally, Jordan Harrison contributed 12 points to the team’s effort.

Khyala Ngodu was the leading scorer for the Knights (7-5, 0-2) with 14 points, while Kaitlin Peterson added 13 points, Nevaeh Brown netted 12, and Emely Rodriguez chipped in with 11.

In the first half, UCF struggled mightily, shooting only 28% (7-of-25) from the field and failing to make any of their six attempts from three-point range, along with committing 16 turnovers. In contrast, West Virginia thrived, making six 3-pointers and finishing the half with an impressive 55% shooting percentage.

The dynamic shifted in the second half as UCF improved their shooting to 55%, causing the Mountaineers to struggle with their own shooting as they made only 11 of 33 attempts and also struggled with turnovers, tallying 16. Despite trimming their deficit to 30 points entering the fourth quarter, UCF was unable to close the gap further than the final score, even though they managed to score the last eight points of the game.

Next up for the Mountaineers is a matchup against BYU at home on Saturday, while UCF will be hosting Arizona.